This Life Is A Killer
by kolorfulk
Summary: When Clary Fray moves to Florida to escape the pain of her mother's death, she doesn't expect to get caught up in a whirlwind of danger and romance. Jace Herondale is the sexy, forbidden orphan. Clary and he have far more in common than they believed.
1. The Next Year and a Half

**If you're reading this then you're either a new reader (hopefully) or one of my old readers from my old account, which I appreciate you being so patient if you are the latter. If you have read the first six of these chapters, you don't have to reread them unless you _absolutely _must. I did change 1-4, but it was only slight details and whatnot. Nothing you _must _know to understand the story. But thanks for reading my story, and please review!**

* * *

"Dad, I really could've driven myself." I mumbled as we pulled in front of my brand new school. Hoards of students, boys and girls alike, were crowded outside the school. None of which really cast my dad or me a second glance, but the fact that my dad was dropping me off at school was mortifying all on its own.

"I know, honey. I just wanted to make sure we could both find the school before just letting you go. You can drive yourself tomorrow." he replied with a ghost of a smile falling on his face. Knowing the hidden meaning behind his words, I stared at him painfully. Over the past couple of months, he had really aged. Where he used to have smile wrinkles around his eyes and lips were now just aged wrinkles. His once dark brown hair was now coated in random sprinkles of grey. His physical appearance made it obvious that he had been through a lot since my mother's death.

I nodded picking up my bag. "How am I supposed to get home?" I asked. "You know, since you're working until five…" It was times like these where my attitude won over anything, including the grief.

"Simon's parents said that he could take you home. He only lives a house away."

"Okay, Dad." I sighed before opening the door.

"Hodge should be at the house when you get there."

"How many times do I need to tell you that I don't need a babysitter?" I complained. I resisted the urge to throw my backpack down and _act _like a baby, though.

"He's not a babysitter. He's like our butler. Since we need someone to cook and clean for us, he's there…" he replied with a hint of sadness mixing into his tone. "Because neither one of us is good at cooking or cleaning." He regained his composure.

"I love you, Dad. See you tonight." I whispered before kissing him on the cheek. There was no use in making him think of Mom.

"I love you too. And Clary?"

"Hm?" I had the door completely open now with one foot out.

"Be careful." Anyone just listening in would think he was just being a father, hoping that his daughter was going to have a good and safe day at school, but I knew why he said that; it was the same thing he would say every single time we weren't together.

Biting back the tears, I smiled. "I will, Daddy. You too." I stepped out of his truck and watched him pull away. This _would_ be how I start out my first day at my new school.

"Clary?" A deep voice questioned behind me. I spun around to see a boy with dark brown hair that hung above his eyes and glasses that perched slightly crooked on his nose.

"Uh, hi?" I was trying to recall whether I had met him before today or not.

"It's Simon… Simon Lewis?" he said cautiously scrunching his nose up.

"Simon!" Jumping up to hug him, I yelped. "You look so different!" Simon was my best friend when I was growing up. His parents went to high school and college with my parents, so we grew up with each other in New York until he moved to Florida when were ten. Dad decided that we needed to move from New York after Mom passed away because continuing to live there was too much for him. Therefore, he decided to follow Simon's parents down here for "recovery reasons."

"I would say you look a lot different too, but you seem to be about the same height and everything." he chuckled returning the hug. I happened to be only five feet tall, and I haven't grown any since middle school. "Your hair is a tad bit noticeable, too." He touched one of my bright red curls. I was one of the lucky few redheads to be born with actual red hair instead of that weird orange-red color.

"Thanks." I stuck my tongue out at him. "You make me feel wonderful even after all these years."

"Do you know what classes you have?" he asked, ignoring my sarcastic remark.

"Yeah, I do. They faxed all the stuff I needed for today to Dad." I pulled my backpack off my shoulder and began shuffling through all the binders and papers. "Here it is!" I handed the paper to Simon.

"Oh, cool. We have like six classes together. We're even office workers the same block."

"Office workers?"

"We work in the office by collecting the absentees, getting students for checkouts or whatever, and completing tasks for teachers or principals. Whatever needs to be done, we do. But that's on B day which isn't until tomorrow."

"Dang, I forgot that you use block scheduling."

"Yeah, but lets go to first block. Since we have pretty much all the same classes, I can show you around and we can catch up- all at the same time! Want me to carry your bag for you?"

I laughed at his enthusiasm. "Sure." I handed him my bag as he handed back my schedule. "What classes don't we have together?"

"Last block you have pre-calculus, and I have algebra II. I suck at math. And tomorrow during second block, you have art, but I have study hall. To English III we go." He mimicked an overly eager superhero from those children shows on Disney and raised a fist in the air. I could almost picture a red cape flowing dramatically out from behind him.

Dropping his arm, he turned around and motioned for me to follow him into the school. When we got inside, the halls were crammed with students. Shocked, I dragged behind Simon slowly watching all the teenagers interact; I didn't expect the school to have so many students. People pushed past one another to reach other people. Clusters of girls huddled around different lockers applying lip-gloss or gossiping. Multiple groups of guys shoved each other down the hall and threw paper balls and other things at each other.

"Wow. I didn't realize this was such a big school." I breathed out from the shock.

"Well, it's no New York, but it's pretty stuffed." Helping me through the crowds of people, Simon laughed. "That's the office, and the cafeteria is down that way. We're allowed to eat inside or outside since there's such an overhaul of students." He continued pointing different directions and showing me places to go and avoid as we walked to our first class.

We finally stepped into a classroom that was about half full. The students were spread out into little groups. "This is it. We should find good seats before everyone else comes in. This class is really full."

"When is the late bell?" I asked following Simon to the back middle. He sat down in the very last seat and dropped my bag in the seat in front of his.

"Eight. Don't ever be late to this class." he ordered pointing sternly in my face. He pulled out a dark blue binder and a pencil.

"Why? Is the teacher mean? Or does she not like the students being late?" I asked also pulling my stuff out.

"The exact opposite. Everybody loves Miss. Ashley. No, if you're late to this class, there's a huge chance you'll spend it on the floor. You'll see. Just wait." he nodded at the clock. It was less than five minutes until the late bell was supposed to ring.

As if he could tell the future, or, my guess, that this situation occurs everyday before this class, a crowd of students began to file into the classroom, creating a loud buzz of chatter and laughter.

Almost every seat was filled before the bell rang. Then, who I assumed to be Miss. Ashley, walked in carrying multiple books and a cup of coffee. Seeming to be in her mid-fifties, Miss. Ashley carried herself very elegantly. She wore a light grey sweater and black pants.

Then the classroom door opened, and a few more kids spilled in to fill the last of the open seats. I turned around to look at Simon. "How many people are left?" I whispered.

"About five. Here comes like four of them," I turned back around to watch four boys walk in and groan. They shuffled to the back left and sat down grudgingly on the floor.

"Why doesn't the school just give Miss. Ashley more desks?"

"They're cheap. Who needs desks when we have our butts and the floor?" Grinning at me, Simon quipped. "Oh, joy, here comes my favorite student in the world. It's too bad that they don't make him sit on the floor."

"Why don't they?" I asked in confusion.

"He's too good for it. Some little nerdy kid that wants to be in the _clan_ will hop up and offer him a seat."

I turned around to observe the whole ordeal. A tall, lean boy stepped farther into the classroom. Despite his slim build, he obviously had muscles. His wavy hair was golden-blonde. His dark gold eyes scanned the full seats. His face was all angles, and he was probably the exact definition of handsome.

"Who is he?" I asked in a daze.

"The beloved Jace Herondale. He's the school's biggest jock- starting quarterback. No one is as popular as he is except for his cousins Alec and Isabelle Lightwood. He's probably going to sit with them over there." he nodded toward the right of us. "He lives with them because he's an orphan. He lost his parents a few years back. It's some big mystery because they were murdered, and no one could figure out who did it."

"His parents were killed?" I gasped imagining my mom. Every time my thoughts turned to her, all I could remember were the blood curdling screams that had erupted from me when I stepped into the living room of our house and launching myself over to her limp body and cradling her head in my arms. I didn't care if I was covered in blood; all that mattered was that she wasn't there anymore. When the police came, they had to physically remove me from the house. That day would forever be imprinted into my memory. I could remember every single detail of that day from the exact shirt I had worn to the coolness of my mother's skin as I wrapped myself up next to her.

"Yeah, he was in the house when it happened. It was a year after I moved here. His mom hid him in the attic because she knew what was going to happen. It really is sad, but he acts as if nothing ever happened to him. Like he didn't even have parents."

"Wow…" I mumbled watching him walk down the aisle next to my desk. A boy jumped from his seat and gathered his things. Jace slid into the seat smoothly.

"Not to bring up anything extremely touchy, but did they ever find out who killed your mom?" Simon asked quietly drawing my attention back to him.

Jace Herondale's head visibly snapped toward us, and he watched me with careful amber eyes. "Actually, they got a name and everything. They even went to his house, but the man knew they were coming somehow and left way before the police even arrived. They have no idea where he went. They found out that he was using a fake name, so there's absolutely no trace of him now."

"Really? I'm so sorry, Clary." Simon rested his hand awkwardly on my shoulder.

"I don't care… as long as that man stays away from me and my dad." I muttered, closing my eyes. Pure hatred always flashed across my mind whenever I thought of my mother's killer.

"Am I giving you a ride home today?" he asked, thankfully changing the subject.

"Dad said you were. He dropped me off today because he's scared for me to be alone for even one minute. We even have a butler now… I heard you live one house away, though. Something good actually came from this huge, disastrous situation." I tried to keep my thoughts happy. I had been so depressed since that horrid June day. I couldn't even relate summer and happiness anymore. It had been so hard to continue through the days without seeing my mom's face and hearing her laughter echo throughout our whole house. It took such an effort just to smile, but I was trying, trying for dad. He needed someone to help him through it. He was such an awful wreck after it happened. And, sometimes, when he thought I was asleep, I would hear him sobbing endlessly, the pain eating away at any happiness that could've remained.

"Yeah, I know. It'll be just like when we were kids!" he exclaimed. I forced myself to remain in the conversation. Simon was staring at me expectantly.

"I know. I can't wait." I grinned.

"Alright kids, now that everyone has a seat- or the floor," Miss. Ashley paused as some people laughed. "I would like everyone to meet the newest addition to our school: Ms. Clarissa Fray." Drawing everyone's attention, she motioned towards me, and I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I blushed and looked down.

A few people introduced themselves or waved. I had to explain for more than fifteen minutes to everyone that I'd rather be called Clary. Ms. Ashley was obviously giving the kids time to talk to me and ask me questions. Everyone seemed really nice and welcoming, though.

Well, everyone excluding Jace, that is. He glared at me throughout the whole class. Occasionally he would break the stare to whisper something to the boy behind him.

The boy would glance over at me and sneer before whispering back. He had coal black hair and light blue eyes. His skin was pale, and he seemed more of a loner than anything. His slight frame was so dissimilar to Jace's muscled form. It didn't seem right that he was the one person Jace had decided to talk to during the whole class. I wondered why, if Jace was so popular, that Jace was associating himself with the boy.

I kept my eyes down to avoid seeing the two boys' cold eyes. Finally the bell rang dismissing class.

Listening to Simon talk about how bad lunch was, I gathered my things quickly. "What do we have next?" I asked not bothering to pull my schedule out. I was eager to get away from Jace and his friend who enjoyed shooting me death glares.

"Physics." Simon replied as we walked out of the classroom.

Someone stepped in front of me abruptly causing me to collide straight into him. Stunned, I fell back into someone's arms. I tried to stand back up, but the arms kept a firm grip on me.

"Simon, I'm fine. You can let go of me now." I mumbled, embarrassed at the whole situation.

"It's not Simon." A charming voice said as he let me go. The voice was like liquid, smooth and velvety, causing chills to shoot up my spine.

I spun around to face the person who had the lovely voice. "I am so so sorry. This person just walked in front of me, and I had no time to react." I rushed an apology.

"Just watch your step next time, Clarissa." Jace said with a smirk. He was easily a foot taller than me, and it took every bit of courage I had in me not to cower away from him.

"It's Clary."

"Don't care. Just don't cause any more accidents."

"I didn't cause an accident. Sorry that people here don't know basic traffic rules." I snapped. No wonder Simon didn't like the boy.

"Maybe you should learn how to walk." he commented snidely.

"Oh, that's cute. What's your problem?" I asked haughtily, ignoring the stares people were giving us as they passed by.

"You're my problem, shorty." he replied, closing in the space between us.

"What did I do to you?" I whispered, my breath catching at the proximity of this stranger's body. I could smell the breath leaving his lips; cinnamon captivated my thoughts. The scent of lemons and something with a hint of spice took over the only breathable air left.

"You moved here." he growled before shoving by me. I watched his figure disappear in shock. _What had just happened?_

"Clary, I lost you! Come on. We're gonna be late." Simon appeared, grabbing my hand and pulling me away.

_The next year and a half is going to be a tough one_, I thought to myself miserably all while Jace's face floated in my mind.


	2. Pictures and Pessimism

I stepped cautiously into the room in which Simon directed me. I made it all the way to fourth block, but this was my first class without Simon. I was actually nervous. The whole day I had Simon to talk to and to help me feel comfortable. I didn't know how my class without him would go. Hoping to save myself the trouble, I decided to sit in the back to avoid any attention.

Sitting down in the very last seat on the right side of the room, I put my head down on the desk. I was ready to go home, or possibly even back to New York. I already missed it. I missed my school, full of people who weren't golden-eyed and rude. _He_ was in my last class, which was Spanish II. Ignoring me- and apparently everyone else- he was silent the whole class. When the bell rang, he just got up and left without a second glance toward anyone. You could only imagine how upset Alec was; his livid glares toward me could've set the building on fire.

Interrupting me from my daydreaming, someone plopped down in the seat in front of me. "Hey, are you that new girl Clary?" a girl asked watching other people walk into the classroom. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her even darker eyes turned back to me.

"Yes… how'd you know about me?" I couldn't remember seeing her at all today.

"I didn't, that is, until I heard you and Jace Herondale got into some kinda fight today." she lowered her voice and waggled he eyebrows in expectation. I glanced at the door.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." I whispered. "It was just an argument. He was being a jerk." Jace's tawny eyes captured mine, and I turned back quickly to the girl.

"Well you have some real lady balls! I applaud you. Anyone who stands up to the almighty Jace is definitely a friend of mine. I'm Maia Roberts by the way."

I grinned, "Nice to meet you." Signaling that class was about to start, the bell rang. The pre-calculus teacher, Mr. Byrd, was keen on getting students to learn math. He was a grey old man, and he always had a chalk trail following behind him. He didn't bother introducing me; he just began the lecture instantly.

During the whole class, I could feel a constant stare from someone. Attempting to ignore it, I doodled in my notebook. My mom was the once amazing artist Jocelyn Fray. Most of our money came from her paintings. Of course, Dad worked, but he didn't necessarily need to for us to have a nice living style. I managed to pick up some of her gift. I was nowhere near the artist she was, but I did take my fair share of art classes.

I looked up about thirty minutes later to look straight into Jace's eyes once again. I wondered idly how long he had been staring. I dropped my head down to look at what I had drawn. It looked a lot like the garden near my old house in New York. It needed quite a bit of touching up, though, and I noticed that I also had begun to draw someone sitting on a bench. Once I realized whom it was beginning to look like, I ripped it out of my notebook and crumpled it up.

I did not care if he _was_ the best person to draw. I am not allowing him to be in any sketch of mine. I forced myself to look at him again. My mom would have had a field day drawing him. His golden blonde hair curled up around his neck and ears, and his face looked as if a million tiny angels had put it together. His nose was scrunched up, and he was grimacing as he watched Mr. Byrd write out an equation with logarithms on the board. Even making faces, he was gorgeous. Mom would have probably loved to have him as a model for her paintings.

Trying to get rid of the thought, I shook my head. It's ridiculous that he managed to squirm his way into my thoughts. I needed a nap and to get away from this school. I zoned out again, but this time I didn't pick up my pencil. I had learned this stuff in New York anyways.

The afternoon announcements came on in what seemed like minutes later. I packed all my things in my bag while waiting for the dismissal. Everyone got up immediately after the announcements cut off.

"Okay, kids, have a nice afternoon and do numbers one through thirty even for homework. Oh, and Herondale, can you stay for an extra minute?" Mr. Byrd said as everyone shoved through the door to leave. I could guarantee that only a few kids even heard about the homework. I turned around to see Jace still in his seat in the front as if he expected to stay after. His head was bent down as Mr. Byrd spoke softly to him.

Maia was saying something to me, so I tried to return my attention to her. "… I moved here about a year ago, so I totally get being new and stuff. It sucks, just like most of the people here. You probably know that though." She looked at me expectantly.

"It's not that bad other than a few minor problems. My best friend moved here awhile back, so I'm not completely alone." Following her to what I assumed to be the parking lot, I answered.

"Really? Who?"

"Uh, you might know him. Simon Lewis. He lived in New York a couple years back. We grew up together."

"You know Simon? Wow, I wish I could've known someone when I moved here. That would've helped a lot." She spoke easily pushing through the people that were just standing in the way.

"Where are you from?" I asked as we stepped outside. There was a slight breeze, but of course, it had to be in the high sixties to mid-seventies. That was another thing I missed about New York. In November it was cold, not this lame, still warm enough to wear capris crap.

"Texas. My dad is in the military. We had to move bases. The life of a military brat." Kicking the ground, she sighed.

"Hey, Clary! Ready to go?" Simon yelled as he jogged over to us.

"Oh, yeah. I'm ready. See you later Maia." I said with a wave.

"Bye Clary. Bye Simon." She said it wistfully as she stared at Simon. I knew that look. I would bet that she had some sort of crush on him. I turned to face Simon. Honestly he wasn't that bad looking. His brown hair hung just right over his forehead and his chocolate brown eyes were deep and warm. Although his glasses seemed to always perch crookedly on his nose, oddly it still worked for him.

Simon waved, completely oblivious. "Let's go. I need some serious help on this algebra crap. It makes no sense. Do you mind if I stay over at your house for a bit?" he rambled on as he unlocked his dark blue Ford truck.

"Sure, I don't mind. Dad said Hodge would be there, though. Maybe he'll make an after school snack." I shrugged as I hopped into his truck.

* * *

"I don't get it!" Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. "Why is 'i' even a number in this?" Simon complained while sitting on my rolling desk chair and eating Doritos.

"It's called an imaginary number. It needed some sort of identification." I sighed as I sat up from lying on my bed. I had already completed my pre-calculus homework, so I was bored and listening to Simon whine about algebra.

"Why have an imaginary number? That means it's not real."

"That's the point." I laughed as he groaned.

"I'm not even gonna use this after college. This is so lameeeeee." he dragged the word out while spinning around in the chair.

"Like you!" Throwing my notebook at Simon, I exclaimed.

"You're funny. Ha ha ha." he mumbled as he picked up my notebook. "Hey these are good!" He was flipping through the pages.

"Thanks." I said sheepishly.

"They're much better than the stick figures you used to draw. Brava!" he chuckled as I blushed.

"Shut up! I wanted to be just like my mom."

"I know. You would wear overalls just like her and deliberately get paint on yourself. Remember when you started using chopsticks to hold up your hair because you saw your mom do it once? You were such a dork!"

I laughed with him at the memories. "Like you were much better. You always broke your glasses, and your mom got so sick of paying for a new pair every couple of weeks that you had to wear them with duct tape holding them together. And you had a different book with you every single day!"

"I liked to read! You were my only friend back then." he tried to explain.

I vigorously shook my head laughing. "Excuses, all excuses! How can you be such a nerd, but suck at math?" I teased.

He stuck his tongue out at me. "Because it has letters mixed into it now!"

I laughed even harder. "Finish your homework, Simon! There's better things to do than sit here and watch you pout because you don't understand why the letter 'i' is used."

"Whatever, Fray." he muttered as he spun back around to face the desk. "I heard that you and Jace got into a bit of an argument today… why didn't you tell me?"

"Who told you?" I asked amazed at how quickly gossip circulates.

"I overheard Alec talking about it to Aline Penhallow and Kaelie Moore in algebra. What happened?" he inquired, once again spinning around to look at me.

"Nothing. I fell and he caught me. Then he proceeded to act like a jerk, so I told him off. The end." I got off my bed and threw my pre-calculus homework in my backpack. "I just need like two binders and some paper tomorrow, right? I haven't gotten my American History textbook yet…"

"Yeah, that's it. Plus anything you want to bring for your art class. I also heard you that you upset him."

"Boohoo, he'll make it just fine. I didn't even say anything to upset him. He's the one who said that the reason he has a problem with me is because I moved here. What kind of bullcrap reason is that?"

"No, he's upset because you moved here _because_ of your mom's murder. Alec said something about ripping open never healed wounds. I think you made him think about his parents." Simon sat up straight in the chair. "You are my hero. You made the Jace Herondale upset." he mocked as he bowed in pretend respect.

"He probably wouldn't be so full of himself if people didn't call him _the_ Jace Herondale…" I grumbled tacking my schedule to my bulletin board. Pictures of my mom, dad, and I stared back at me. My mom's very last picture ever taken was of her and me covered in paint. Her red hair was pinned back in a curly bun and her green eyes shone as if everything were perfect, which it was _then_. But, just three days later, someone killed her.

That was when I realized that Dad and I haven't taken any pictures since she was murdered. There were no pictures hanging on the hallways of our new house nor were there any in the living room or kitchen. Mom used to fill every room in our house up with pictures. She developed them almost as fast as she took them. Dad had one picture sitting on his nightstand; it was their wedding picture.

"You alright, Clare?" Simon asked moving toward me. He looked at the pictures, "I'm sorry, Clary."

"Did you notice that there are no pictures hanging up anywhere in this house?" Pulling my eyes off my mom's face, I asked.

He shook his head. "I wasn't even paying attention. You know it's only been, what, five months? It doesn't just suddenly get easy to deal with. No one expected you to just get over her death. You and your dad have every right to be in mourning still. It's tough, but I'm definitely gonna be here for you. I promise."

I smiled as tears filled my eyes. "It's weird how I wish I knew who killed her. I feel like that man meant to kill all three of us. He just had bad timing. What if he was a family friend, someone who was in the house a lot? I feel so exposed and so scared… Why my mom? Why my family?"

"No one knows. There's some seriously messed up people. They'll find the guy, though." Simon promised squeezing my shoulder.

I shook my head. "I doubt it." I knew it was extremely pessimistic, but I couldn't shake the feeling that this man was good at what he does and knew how to go about it. I also had the suspicion that this man wasn't quite finished yet, either.


	3. Throwing Paint and Ditching Class

"How do you like your eggs?" Hodge asked me when I dragged myself into the kitchen.

"Scrambled is fine." I yawned as I sat down at the counter. Hodge nodded his head and turned back toward the stove. I chewed on my lip as I analyzed my newfound butler. He was a thin man with grey-streaked hair and a long, beaky nose. His movements were always quite jerky, and he seemed to constantly be looking over his shoulder.

Then Dad walked into the kitchen. "Good morning, Mr. Garroway. Do you want anything for breakfast?" Hodge asked before setting a plate of eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast in front of me. I didn't even pause before digging into the meal, hardly listening to the conversation between my father and Hodge.

"No thanks. I need to leave for work. Are you driving to school, Clare?" He patted my head.

"No," I chewed my food before finishing my answer. "Simon is swinging by. We'd rather carpool." I took another bite.

"Okay, sweetie. Be careful." he said kissing my forehead. "Have a nice day Hodge." He nodded before grabbing his keys and leaving.

Hodge slid a glass of orange juice across the counter. I grinned and took a large gulp. "This is really good. Thanks." I mumbled through another mouthful.

"No problem. It's my job." He began cleaning up. He didn't sound like he regretted the fact that it was his job, but he didn't really sound too ecstatic about it either. Watching him closer, I chewed slowly. His back was erect and he seemed oddly tense.

Suddenly the door swung open to reveal an exhausted-looking Simon. "You ready to go?" he asked as he trudged in the kitchen.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks for the breakfast." I said as I grabbed my backpack. Hodge just nodded silently whilst picking up my plate.

When we got into Simon's truck, Simon turned to me after he cranked the truck. "You really need to consider a quieter butler. He's far too loud." he joked before proceeding to back out of my driveway and heading toward school.

"He sort of gives me the creeps. He just stares at me when I talk to him. His only reply is a nod, or an 'It's my job.' The only other things he says to me are related to how I want things cooked and where I prefer my stuff. It's odd." Shaking my head, I replied.

Simon shrugged, "Maybe he just doesn't know what to say or he's scared he'll upset you somehow. He obviously must know about your mom…"

"You're probably right. Today is just not a good day."

"I know. I hate Wednesdays. It's the hardest day to get over." Simon complained while pulling into his assigned parking spot. I had learned that they received a certain number, and they had to park in the spot that had that number painted in it. It was supposed to help students be time efficient and reduce the chances of accidents. It just helped me find Simon's truck at the end of the day.

"I've always thought Mondays were the worst." I laughed as I turned my phone on silent. "It's so hard to get up at six after two days of sleeping in."

"No way. Wednesday is Hump Day!" Simon exclaimed with a completely straight face.

I burst into a fit of laughter. "Hump Day? Really, Simon?"

"Like you have to get over the hump of the week…?" He seemed confused and entirely oblivious.

"You might wanna call it by something else." I suggested before patting his shoulder sympathetically. His face flushed as he realized what my advice was hinting at. I giggled at his embarrassed expression.

"Let's go to class." Sulking, he mumbled.

* * *

We parted ways as I stepped into the dimly lit art room, my second block class. Simon waved before turning away to head toward study hall.

The room was full of multiple arts and crafts objects ranging from clay to cotton balls. A few easels were set up in front of stools, so I walked to the back and sat down at one of the easels. I noticed that there were double the amount of stools than there were easels. _Great… partners. _

Bored, I began to draw on the cover of my notebook. I carefully avoided zoning out to prevent any suspiciously good-looking boys from appearing.

"You know that you can go ahead and start on any art work you want to, right? He doesn't make you wait for him. He likes self-inspiration better." A honey sweet voice murmured in my ear.

Dropping my pen in surprise, I flinched. Jace had managed to slide into the stool placed right next to mine completely unnoticed. He bent down to pick my pen up and handed it to me. A strand of gold hair fell over his eyes.

"I, uh, thanks." I searched for words in an attempt to break the stunned block that had appeared in my mind.

"No problem. I noticed you drawing in pre-calc yesterday. Do you like to draw often or just when you're bored?" he asked with a grin. His face was oddly bright and sweet, nothing like the malicious sneer that he had directed toward me yesterday morning.

"I like to draw and paint and stuff. My mom was an artist. I kind of just learned from her." I mumbled still confused at how nice he was acting.

"Oh, that's cool. Maybe I could see some of your stuff sometime. And I'm really sorry about your mother, by the way. I didn't mean to be such a jerk yesterday. There was no excuse." He held out a hand. "Maybe we can start over. I'm Jace Herondale. You are?" he winked at me, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

Even with my suspicion, I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Clary Fray." I shook his hand.

"It's a pleasure Ms. Fray." He raised an eyebrow before bowing.

"Stop that. People are staring." Glancing around the room, I slapped his arm softly. It was true, though; quite a few people were actually paying close attention to our conversation. I blushed from the attention.

"Let them stare." He whispered with an insouciant shrug. He grabbed my hand that I hit him with and brought it up to his lips. His cool breath blew across my fingers, and I resisted the strong urge to shiver.

"Oh, Jaceeeeee." A voice, in my opinion, wailed. Jerking away from one another, we looked up to see a skinny girl who somehow was taking up far more room than she needed. She definitely didn't know what personal space was. Thinking back to what had happened before between Jace and me, however, I realized that neither did Jace; I didn't seem to notice how close he was until now though. Shoving the thoughts back, I stared at the girl. Her dark hair fell above her shoulders with her bangs pulled back on top of her head, harboring an unusually large bump. Her eyes flickered from Jace to me and back to Jace. "What are you doing, honey? We always sit over there with the, ya know, cool people." she crooned with a pointed grimace aimed at me.

"Yeah, over there." the blonde next to her mimicked. She was obviously one of _those_ girls. This type of girl clings onto someone and becomes a mini, not so "glamorous" version of her. She was the same height as the other girl, but her blonde hair was piled on top of her head instead of hanging down. They had matching purses and non-discreetly color coordinated their outfits. That's very cute… for kindergarteners.

"Maybe I want a change in scenery," Jace smirked. "One that's not so Aline and Kaelie-ish."

"Don't talk to Aline like that!" Snapping a piece of bright pink bubblegum in Jace's face, the girl I was assuming to be Kaelie hissed. I hoped that she was Kaelie. Because, if not, she was speaking about herself in third person, and that would be more creepy than not.

"Shut up, Kaelie." Aline hissed. "Don't be an idiot, Jace. C'mon, and stop acting stupid." she put her hand out toward Jace. He stared at it for a moment before pushing it away.

"Can't you see that I'm busy?" Gesturing toward me, he asked. Even I knew that was a bad idea.

"She's not gonna let you in her pants, Jace. Give up now. She's obviously a virgin." Aline snapped glaring at me.

"Chill out! Who pissed in your cereal this morning?" Jace chuckled. I felt my mouth drop open. Even with what I had learned about his personality, I didn't expect that.

"Screw you!" Picking up a wet paintbrush, Aline slung it at Jace. Water and leftover green paint splashed onto the both of us.

Stunned, I froze. What. The. Hell. "You're a brat." I spat through my gritted teeth. "Grow up. No wonder he's rejected you. You're acting like a five year old." I grabbed my bag and stalked out of the room, passing a very confused-looking man. "I'm assuming you're the art teacher?" I asked before continuing. "A very _nasty_ girl decided to sling water and paint at me, and, if you don't mind, I'm going to wash myself off. Thanks." I didn't bother waiting for a response before walking out of the room and stepping into the nearest bathroom, which happened to be a unisex bathroom. I checked the room to see if it was empty, and then looked in the mirror. Green blotches covered my red hair and dotted my face. My light blue shirt also had a couple streaks of green. I groaned. And to think, if yesterday was bad, what will today be like?

"Hell is other people," I said aloud. I continued to chant the mantra in my head before attempting to pick at the green in my hair.

"You think so?"

I spun around. "Why aren't you consoling your girlfriend?" I snapped before turning back to face the mirror. "And yes, I do think so."

It was useless trying to pick the paint out of my hair. It would just be a better idea to wash it out after school. I bit back the scream that wanted to fly out of my mouth from the frustration of this stupid school.

"She's not my girlfriend. I disagree, by the way. Hell is yours personally, so how, in turn, could other people affect _your _personal hell?" Jace stepped beside me and turned on the water to splash some on his face. Green paint coated more of his golden hair than mine because Aline was actually _aiming_ for him; hitting me was just a bonus.

"Oh, that's right. You just sleep with her." I said bluntly. I couldn't help the agitation that seeped into my tone. "And no, you can't create hell. It was already designed, and so far, it's the people I'm surrounded by in this awful school. Good day, Jace." I tied my hair in a loose ponytail and strode out of the bathroom.

"You're really going to listen to her?" Jace grabbed my arm. "I'm not interested in sleeping with you. I just want to be your friend. I've never even had sex. Aline just assumes that I have because I've dated around a lot. I don't even like Aline!"

"Oh, great excuse. Do you tell every new student that? Oh, and the whole 'dated around a lot,' thing isn't really helping your case." Rolling my eyes, I faked a sweet voice.

"Why do you think I'm playing some kind of game with you?" he asked me still holding on tightly to my wrist.

I stared into his wide amber eyes. The green paint was still speckled over his cheeks and nose almost like little green freckles. I had the strongest urge to try and wipe the paint off, or maybe just touch his tanned skin. "Because of how you treated me yesterday, obviously."

"I just apologized in class, Clary!" Throwing his hands up, he exclaimed.

"That doesn't change what you said! You must've had some reason to do that. You only knew me for, what, and hour and a half?"

"I'm sorry. I just… I lost my parents five years ago. I'm sure you've heard that by now, and when I heard you moved here because your mother was killed, I remembered my parents. I've blocked out every single memory I have of them since their funeral, but you brought them all racing back. Then I was pissed because you only lost one of your parents. I thought it wasn't fair. I never really mourned my parents' deaths. I just went into shock and just moved on. I haven't been able to get my parents out of my head since yesterday. I even dreamed about the day they died last night. I took my pain- and anger- out on you. I'm really sorry." Staring at me fiercely, he whispered.

His eyes had watered up a bit, but he blinked furiously and shook his head. "I figured that it might help knowing someone else who had lost a parent, someone to relate to. No one really knows what I went through, and no one understands what it feels like, but I know you would." he mumbled. For a moment I saw a much weaker Jace, one who dropped his walls. The sincerity in his voice was almost blinding. Somehow I just knew that I was one of the few people who got to see this rare side of Jace,

I sighed. "Okay, but another stunt like yesterday and you'll get a nice kick in the face."

"Like you could reach." he teased. _Well, the rare side of Jace left just as fast as it appeared_, I thought dryly.

"Shut up. Let's go back to class. Cleaning up was a bad idea." I shoved by him and headed back toward the classroom.

"Wait! One more thing… Mr. Byrd said that you were in advanced pre-calculus before moving here, and you had a high A. Do you think you could, uh, tutor me?" Scratching the back of his neck, he asked uncertainly. Peculiarly, the slightly nervous and uncertain Jace was just as captivating as the one who couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"Did he suggest that?"

Jace paused for a moment before grinning sheepishly. His blonde hair fell over his eyes again. "Yes." he admitted.

"Sure, I'll do it. But you buy me a smoothie before school every time I have to tutor you. I'll settle for once a week if the tutoring sessions start becoming more frequent. And a good smoothie from like Smoothie King. There's one near the school, so it's not like it'd be difficult... Deal?" I bargained.

Smirking he grabbed my hand that was resting at my side. "Deal. I'll pick you up every Friday morning to get smoothies because you'll be seeing a lot of me." He winked after he spoke his last few words.

"Let's go back to class." I said with a slight smile.

"Or we could just ditch. I heard we're office workers together next block." Turning toward the door that led outside, he suggested. "It'd be fun." He raised his eyebrows with a goofy grin.

I couldn't help the startled laugh that fell out of my mouth. I had never skipped class before. "Okay..." I could feel my heart slamming against ribcage as I replied.

That's all it took for Jace to grab my hand and yank me out the door.


	4. Anger and Confusion

Slowly Jace pulled into his parking spot in an attempt to not draw any attention to us. We spent our class time at a frozen yogurt place called Yogurt Mountain, which was conveniently located down the street from the school, right next to Smoothie King. We spent the last forty-five minutes filling the largest size cup of yogurt together. According to Jace's dashboard clock, the bell was supposed to ring in about five or so minutes.

Jace and I sat in his car eating the remains of our little adventure in silence. "So what's up with you and that Simon guy?" Licking his spoon, Jace asked breaking the stillness.

"What do you mean?" I took another bite. We combined two flavors of yogurt together, so I savored the flavors of cake batter and chocolate yogurt.

He pulled a gummy worm out of the cup. "Didn't you just meet him, like, yesterday? How does he know so much about you?"

"No," I laughed as I stuck my spoon in the almost empty cup, "I knew him since I was way younger. We were best friends growing up. He moved here when we were like ten. This is just the first time I've seen him in six years." I explained.

"Oh, well that makes much more sense. I thought it was strange how attached he had gotten to you already."

"Attached? He's not attached." I scorned.

"Think what you want, but he definitely is." His eyes twinkled and his lips had the start of a mocking smile.

Rolling my eyes, I looked at the clock on the dashboard. "Come on. The bell is gonna ring any second now." I stepped out of his car, glanced around the parking lot, and slung my backpack over my shoulder. Jace slid out of his car smoothly and locked the doors. He had our empty yogurt cup in one hand and his car keys in the other.

We walked toward the back entrance together as the bell let out a shrill cry. Jace dropped the cup into the nearest trashcan and leapt toward the door. He opened it and held it open for me with a wink.

He pushed through the crowd leading us to the office for our next class. I couldn't help but notice the blatantly obvious stares from other students as they paused in the hallway to look at us.

"Take a picture; it lasts longer!" A high-pitched voice snapped. A tall, slender girl with strikingly dark, long hair appeared beside Jace. "Hey, I don't see Alec at all the rest of the day, so will you tell him that I just got checked out to go to the dentist? I forgot to tell him this morning while we were working the office. He needs to ride home with you." She flashed him a quick, dazzling smile.

"Yeah, I'll tell him in forensics, but he's gonna be pissed when he's home alone this afternoon because I'm going to Clary's house." Jace agreed before gesturing at me with a tilt of his head.

The girl's ice blue eyes landed squarely on me. For a moment, I feared she would lash out at me or tease me like most girls who looked like models do. "Hi, I'm Isabelle, Jace's cousin. When you get sick of him, just come hang out with me. I'm far more interesting anyways."

"Annoying," Jace faked a loud cough and smirked at me, "is what she really means."

"Speak for yourself, doll. See you later." She blew a kiss and skipped away.

"She seems fun." I laughed as he continued through the crowd.

"You've just hit the top of the iceberg. She's super enjoyable to live with." Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

Then we arrived at the office. Holding the door open for me yet again, Jace motioned me inside the room. I ducked under his arm, and he chuckled quietly. He led me through the door that directed the way behind the office counter.

"Usually the woman who works in the office isn't here during this block, so we're left with all the work. She goes out to lunch and doesn't come back until right before the bell rings for fourth block, but she's nice enough to leave us a to-do list." Jace grinned at me.

I noticed that one of his front teeth was chipped. The minor imperfection did not affect his beauty, though; it might've even made him more handsome.

"Who all is working this block?" I asked while struggling to look over his shoulder to see the office woman's to-do list.

"Just me, you, and Simon." he replied. "Looks like Simon is going to the store to pick up supplies. Direct orders from Ms. Coughlin, herself." Jace assured me by finally showing me the yellow stick-it note.

"So what are we going to do then?" I asked curiously after skimming over the note.

"We'll wait until 'B' lunch starts to pick up all the absentees from all over the school, and then we'll check out lunch. If it's edible, we'll get some and eat in here. Then we'll just answer the phone calls and buzzes from the classrooms. It just depends on the day." Jace shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh, that sounds super exciting." Leaning on the counter, I mumbled after dropping my backpack on the floor.

Jace opened his mouth to reply, but the office door flew open. We both snapped our heads to see a very livid Simon. The bell rang as he stormed through the office to join us behind the counter.

"Simon, what's-" I began to ask but stopped mid-sentence when he held a hand up to stop me.

"Where were you?" he asked through his teeth. His hair was sticking up in spots, and his cheeks were burning bright red. He pointed at me accusingly as if I had done something wrong.

"What do you mean?" Confused, I questioned him as I stopped myself from stepping toward him. I glanced at Jace to see him smirking at me. He looked away when his eyes met my glare.

"I went to the art class to walk you to the office because you've only been here two days… Then when I couldn't find you anywhere, some girl tells me you left class after an argument with Aline Penhallow and never came back. So again, I ask, where were you?" He was seething by now.

"We ditched art together." Jace replied before I could respond.

"You skipped art? What is wrong with you?" Simon almost shouted. Then a look of realization dawned over him. The overhaul of emotions in the room froze my reactions and thoughts. I felt like any words that would be appropriate in this situation were dragging slowly to the front of my brain. Because it was obvious he had more to say, I waited for him to continue. "You skipped class with Jace…?" He sounded hurt, almost as if I had betrayed him.

"What's wrong with that?" I finally snapped back at him.

"What isn't wrong with that?" he spat, enraged.

"Stop acting like this! I did nothing wrong. If you'd give me a chance to explain, I would."

"Forget it. It doesn't even matter. You'll figure things out for yourself. You'll be just like every other person who thought he was their friend." he growled as he chunked his backpack to the floor.

"She's not your girlfriend. She can do what she wants, and she can think for herself." Taking a defensive step toward Simon, Jace broke the tense silence.

"What?" Simon spluttered.

"You heard me. She's just your friend. Get over it."

"Screw you, Jace. You don't know anything." Raising a fist, Simon closed the space between Jace and himself. The pure outrage that had appeared on Simon's face managed to frighten me.

I threw my hands out between the two boys and pushed against their chests. "Stop it! Just stop it. You're both acting like animals." I snatched the post-it note out of Jace's hands and thrust it in Simon's face. "You need some fresh air anyways."

He grabbed it, and his eyes scanned it quickly. "Whatever." Grabbing his jacket and resituating his glasses, he stomped out of the office.

I whipped back around to stare at Jace. He was silently snickering but quickly stopped when he noticed that I was glowering at him. "What the hell was that?" I hissed smacking his arm.

"I thought he needed to know." He shrugged coolly.

"Know what? That you're a big, egotistical jerk? Good job! If he didn't already think that of you, he sure does now."

"No, that you're not interested in him like that." he answered seriously. Then grin wiped clean off his face. "Aw, c'mon, don't even act like it's not obvious now! He threw a fit because he couldn't walk you to class and because you ditched with me; he was clearly jealous that you were alone with me. Then his face when I said that you're just his friend. You're not _that_ oblivious." he continued, noticing my scorning look. He ticked the reasons off on his fingers.

"Well you could've left that to me!"

"You wouldn't have done it. You would've tried to have feelings for him, and then you'd stress yourself out because you don't like him that way and eventually feel like a bad person. I just saved you weeks, even months, of your life. You're welcome." He smirked at me. My arm twitched, and I fought back the urge to slap that look right off his pretty little face.

"How do you have friends?" I inquired, mostly to myself.

"Have you looked at me? I'm amazing. How could I not have friends?" he simpered.

"Well you're arrogant, rude, sarcastic, just plain mean…" I listed the things by holding up fingers. "Must I continue the list?"

His mouth dropped open. "Excuse me, but I'm the reason why the football team is even in the playoffs right now."

"Oh, wow!" I faked enthusiasm. "Way to prove the arrogant bit. And how are you going to come over to my house after school if you play football? Shouldn't you have practice or something?"

"We don't have practice on Wednesdays." he replied. "And I'm not arrogant. I'm confident… there's a difference small fry." He shrugged poking me.

"Whatever you say." Shaking my head, I mumbled.

"There is! Don't act like this. We were having so much before Simon ruined it!" Jace complained touching my arm softly.

Frowning at him, I replied stubbornly, "Well yeah, but now he thinks I'm some sort of Jace worshiper slash traitor."

"Why?"

"He doesn't like you…" I gazed at him. I thought that much was obvious. Even I could've noticed that, and I'm no social butterfly.

"That wouldn't make you a traitor though."

"I don't think you play many video games. In Call of Duty, you don't fraternize with the enemy, let alone hide out with the enemy. And to Simon, I've done both. I'm a bad best friend."

"I play plenty of video games, _thank you_. This isn't some war, Clary. He can't expect you to just be friends with him." Jace shook his head while leaning against the counter.

"I guess you're right. He'll get over it… just don't tell him you're coming over to my house or anything like that, okay? He needs to cool down before we throw something else at him."

"You mean like how I'm driving you to school Friday and how you're coming to the game Friday night to watch me play?" He waggled his eyebrows at me playfully.

"When did I make these plans?" I asked in surprise.

"Just now. Come to the game for me? I'd like the extra support." He smiled genuinely.

I bit my lip. "Simon wanted to go to the movies, though."

"If you don't go to the game, then I demand you come over to my house Saturday."

"Why?"

"We have a pre-calc test Monday, and unlike some people, I don't know how to study for math." He stared pointedly at me. "Support the team or my grade. You pick." He smirked at my lack of a response.

Groaning, I shrugged. "Fine, Saturday it is."

Then I heard a tinkling noise come from my bag. I paused, not remembering turning my ringtone up on my phone. I reached into my bag, and the backlight of my new iPhone lit up. One new message!

"Who's that?" Jace glanced over my arm to look at my phone.

"Maybe it's Simon apologizing for overreacting earlier…" I trailed off after opening the message.

_Hey! It's Jonathan Morgenstern from your old school in New York. _I read it aloud to Jace. _We only had like two classes together, but I just found out you moved. I hope you're doing well!_

Jace wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Who the heck is that?"

"Stop being so nosy!" Jerking my phone away, I exclaimed. Honestly, though, I had no idea who he was. I couldn't really remember the name. Morgenstern should stick out. I concentrated on the last name. I tried to conjure up a face with the name. Suddenly, a boy with white-blonde hair and dark eyes popped into my head. It probably was him. I only saw him in a few classes if I remembered right.

_Oh, hi! Yeah, I'm doing fine. Just trying to get adjusted to the new place. Hope New York isn't too cold! _I typed a response eagerly.

_Where are you living now? _The reply from him was almost immediate.

"Did he have a crush on you?" Jace asked imploringly looking at my phone again.

"Why? Are you jealous?" I teased before looking at the message again. Jace scoffed and turned around to answer the ringing office phone.

_Just this little city on the beach in Florida. It's like in the middle of the state on the east coast. I'm already missing winter. It's like sixty degrees here!_

Expecting a quick response, I waited with my phone tight in my hand. I had almost forgotten how much I missed New York from all the excitement of the day. Talking to someone from my old home made me feel comforted.

Ten minutes later, I put my phone back in my bag. Deflated and confused, I wondered why Jonathan never replied.

Then the bell rang dismissing 'A' lunch. Sighing, I looked at Jace who was watching me. "Are we going to collect the absentees now?" I asked tapping my fingernails on the counter.

"No, like five more minutes," Glancing at my bag, Jace replied, "Did that guy not text back?" He pointed at my phone laying on top of my books in my bag.

I shook my head. "No, he asked where I was living now and then never replied after that."

He pursed his lips and his eyebrows knitted together. "That's weird."

"Yeah, I know…Oh well." I shrugged attempting to shake off an unknown, nagging feeling in the back of my head. "Maybe he got busy. No big deal."

_I hoped._


	5. A Safe Room?

Simon glared at me dutifully across the parking lot, just as he had been the past two hours. Shivering from the feeling of abandonment, I looked down at my worn down Vans to avoid making eye contact with him. He was still pissed at me for skipping class with Jace. He sat with Maia in forensics and ignored me the whole class. Jace sat with me in forensics, probably not helping the situation much more, after explaining to Alec about the afternoon arrangement, which landed me another hard glare from Alec.

I was currently waiting at Jace's four-door silver 2012 Lamborghini. Obviously, money was not an issue in his family. Finally, Jace and Alec strolled up to the car. Alec paused a couple feet away from the car and gave me an icy stare. His eyes matched the ice blue of his sister's eyes. His midnight black hair fell in layers around his head grazing right above his eyes. He was definitely the exact copy of Isabelle just more masculine and less, uh, bubbly.

Jace unlocked his car's doors and slid in, blissfully unaware of the tension between Alec and myself. I risked a glance towards Simon's truck to receive yet another hard glare. I opened the back door and slid inside giving Alec the front seat in hopes of lightening the hostility.

"Why are you sitting back there?" Jace asked me as Alec got in the passenger seat.

"I figured Alec would rather sit in the front." I replied, ducking to avoid another gaze from Alec.

Jace shook his head and pulled out of the parking lot. The ride to Jace and Alec's house seemed uncharacteristically long and silent. When Jace pulled into the long driveway leading to his house, I realized something.

"Holy crap, Jace. You live right across the street from me!" I exclaimed. As he put the car in park, he spun around to grin at me.

"That's convenient." He winked as Alec got out of the car and slammed the door… _hard._ Jace winced either at the sound from the mistreatment of his car or the hostility from his cousin. "Come sit up here with me." He patted the passenger seat.

I got out of the car and slid into the passenger seat quickly and quietly, wondering why Alec seemed to hate me so much already.

"Well, I guess I don't need instructions to your house then." Jace joked half-heartedly. I faked a smile, trying to forget how terrible of a day it had been.

"So this is the Fray house… it's quite charming." Jace said as we stepped inside my house.

At that point, I realized how monstrous the house was compared to the three people, counting Hodge, living in it. It was three floors: the first floors contained the kitchen, dining room, living room, laundry room, a small library, and an office for my dad. The second floor held my bedroom, Dad and Hodge's bedrooms, a larger library, a workout room, three guest bedrooms, and four bathrooms. The third floor was my art room. It had a spiral staircase leading up to it, and a large window took up most of the wall facing my backyard.

The front door led into the hallway, which had three directions to decide from to go. You could go upstairs, go to the living room, or go to the dining room.

"Your house is like the size of mine. What does your dad do?" Jace asked in genuine surprise, not a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"He's a sports agent; he mostly works with football and baseball players. I think that's what finally pushed him over to move here… because it wouldn't affect his job."

Jace nodded his head. "Sorry about how Alec was acting earlier. I don't know what his problem is." I dropped my eyes to avoid looking at Jace.

"It's alright." I mumbled.

"It's awesome that you live right across the street from me, though." Thankfully changing the subject, he said. "We can go to school together all the time, and I get to bug you around the clock with ease." He leaned against the stair railing and smirked at me.

"Clary! I'm glad you're home. I have something important to- Oh, who's this?" My dad swooped into the front hallway.

"Hello, sir. I'm Jace Herondale. I live right across the street, and I'm a junior with Clary at the high school." Jace straightened up and stuck his hand out while turning up his charm.

Something strange flashed across my dad's face, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared. "Luke Garroway. Nice to meet you. When he leaves, I need to show you something very important, Clary." He turned to me after dropping Jace's hand.

"Why are you home so early?" I asked, glancing at the clock. It was 4:30, about a good hour before he usually would be home.

"I didn't go to the office today. I unpacked more stuff." he answered stiffly.

"Uh, okay. I'll come down when he leaves." I nodded my head.

Dad muttered something incoherently and turned on his heel to walk back to the kitchen. Jace didn't seem to notice anything off kilter, so I ignored the nagging suspicion in the air. I shook my head and climbed the stairs with Jace following. He was following so closely that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. I walked toward the end of the hallway to my room and opened the door. I set my bag right next to the door. Glancing around my room, I realized it was not very presentable. My queen size bed was not made, my walls were not even painted yet, the desk in the corner of the room on the left side of my bookshelf had Simon's leftover bag of Doritos and my laptop on it, and unpacked boxes were strewn out everywhere. Mentally thanking myself, I remembered I had stowed all my most embarrassing stuff in my closet and dresser.

"Sorry it's such a mess. I still haven't gotten much of a chance to unpack everything." Sitting on my bed, I apologized.

Jace looked into one of the closest boxes to him and pulled out my favorite stuffed animal. "What is this?" He grinned at my blushing face.

I stood up and snatched it out of his hands. "This is Cuddles, and he advises me on my clearly nonexistent love life! Leave him alone." I set the old stuffed bear on my bed softly as Jace snorted.

"That's cute. What's up those stairs?" Jace pointed to the spiral staircase at the back of the room.

"You really want to know?" I grinned mischievously. He nodded his head emphatically. "It's where I bring arrogant boys to torture them." His mouth dropped open in surprise, obviously not expecting the response. "But seriously, grab that box right there, and I'll show you." I laughed as I picked up a box for myself.

His light eyes sparkled before he picked up the box and followed me up the stairs. As soon as I reached the landing, I set the box down. Jace followed behind me placing his box next to mine.

The room smelled like paint and dust. Boxes were already scattered throughout the room, and a lone easel sat in the middle of the room. The walls were pure white in preparation of my own murals going on the walls. The large window let in the oranges, yellows, reds, and pinks of the sunset.

"This is my art room." I gestured around. "When I get the chance, I'll have all my supplies set up, and I'm going to paint all three walls as I go."

"Wow, this is oddly cool… ya know, for an art freak." Jace shrugged in a teasing manner as he gazed around the giant room. I stuck my tongue out at him. He looked down at his wrist to inspect his watch. "Well, what are we waiting for? It's only five. Let's unpack all this stuff."

He opened a box and began pulling out paintbrushes and paint. He tossed a handful of Styrofoam peanuts at me. I smiled at his playful expression before opening a box too.

* * *

"I'll pick you up tomorrow, okay? Oh, and I put my number in your phone and sent myself a message, so we have each other's numbers. I'll see you later." Jace touched my shoulder softly before grinning. My shoulder burned where his fingers had been.

My art room looked completely transformed. We spent two hours organizing every bit of my art utensils and accessories, and now the room looked halfway like an actual art room.

"Okay, and thanks for helping out. I might've never gotten it done without you." I said as Jace paused at the spiral staircase.

He was quiet for a moment before he walked back over to me quickly and hugged me. He smelled like honey and something with a spicy scent, possibly his cologne. "I had fun. Bye." he mumbled it awkwardly a loped back over to the staircase before descending it. Heat crept up to my neck and cheeks. Why was that so _weird_?

I took a deep breath and stared out through the window. I still was not sure how I felt about my blooming friendship with Jace. It was nice to have someone to talk to about the loss of my mother, someone who understood what it felt like. However, he was a tad too arrogant for my tastes, and he definitely needed to learn how to deal with people better. The events from working in the office flashed through my mind. I stepped down the stairs and picked up my phone to text Simon. _Look, I know you're upset at me… but are you really going to ditch me like this? We have plans Friday._ I sent the message and dropped my phone on the bed.

The tinkling sound of a message alert sounded, and I snatched my phone up. _You can't be feeling too ditched. I see Jace just left your house._

I gritted my teeth in frustration. Maybe it was just the Florida heat that made guys here big jerks. Simon, Jace, Alec… who's next? _Stop acting like a little kid. What happened to us being best friends like in New York? Jace isn't taking your spot!_ I typed back furiously before throwing my phone back down.

Making my way through the hallway and down the stairs, I headed towards my dad's office to talk to him. I tapped softly on the door and waited for his voice.

A faint click and shuffling noises sounded from inside the office. Then my dad jerked the door open. "Oh, hey Clary. Did your, uh, friend leave?"

"Yeah, so what did you want to show me?" I shuffled my feet awkwardly.

My dad glanced around. "Follow me. I let Hodge have the rest of the night off, so this is only for you and me to know, okay?" I nodded my head apprehensively and followed him back to the stairs. His eyes shifted back and forth nervously before sliding over to the back of the stairs. Gliding behind him silently, I felt a chill. Something did not feel right.

He opened a hidden door by pushing against the wall and gestured me inside quickly. He shushed me as I opened my mouth to question him. I sulked farther into the small, closet-like space. It did not seem too secretive; it looked more like an old broom closet.

My dad shut the door behind him finally. "I know you want to ask something, but wait." he ordered walking to the very back of the closet. Pushing another smaller button, he glanced back at me. I peered at the square of wood disappearing from where he pushed the wall. A small, electronic keypad appeared, and he typed in a number swiftly, not bothering to utter an explanation.

Not even seconds later, a tiny door barely big enough for my dad to fit through, slid open. My mouth dropped in shock. _Was Dad a secret agent or something?_ He ushered me inside, and we both slid in the room.

I gasped in surprise. Inside this room, there were multiple video screens that showed various places throughout the house. I noted to myself that every room happened to flash slowly on the screens. Not a sound floated from the room. Dad silently shut the door behind us. "What is this, Dad?" I asked hurriedly before he could stop me again.

"Sit down, okay?" I complied and sat down on one of the rolling chairs in front of the screens. My dad stood in front of me, wringing his hands nervously. "This is called a safe room," He opened his arms out toward the room. "The only way in is knowing the code. When you shut the door, it automatically locks. There's a second part upstairs that I'll show you, but first, we need to talk." His eyes floated up to the monitors, and he watched the videos pass all the way through twice. Gripping the chair tightly, I waited as patiently as I could for him to continue.

Sighing, he slumped down in an office chair next to me. "I had some constructors add this to the house before we moved here. That's why it took so long to move. I have a pretty clear hunch as to who killed your mother, and I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to come back for us. Hence, my reason for having the safe room built… I don't mean to sound so pessimistic, but I don't want to hide anything from you. Plus, you need to know about this room in case of, uh, _emergencies_." He strained to say the word, stuttering over it.

Grabbing his hand instinctively, I squeezed it tightly. "No, I completely understand. I think whoever killed Mom was after the both of us, too. I'm a big girl; I can deal with this." I mumbled as he looked up at me.

His eyes were watery and his lips wobbled. "I love you so much, Clare Bear. I couldn't handle losing you too. I miss your mom so much." His voice shook. This was the first time since Mom's funeral that he's shown emotion involving her murder. I knew he was trying to make it less hard on me, but I was glad he was finally letting it out.

"You're not going to lose me. I miss her too, Daddy. We'll get through this… You want to show me the rest of the safe room?" I faked a smile, hoping to distract him a bit.

He got up and pulled me into a tight hug. After releasing me, he led me over to stairs in the corner. We climbed to the top, which opened into another dark room. Neither of the rooms had windows, and both were only lit up by the monitors in the rooms. This room had a decent size bed in the back corner and a fridge.

"I figured if it got bad enough, a fridge would be necessary. There's also non-perishable food in the drawers by the bed, along with an extra, non-listed phone. This room was made just for serious incidents, so please don't worry. I don't expect that you'll have to use it." Then he walked to the wall across from the video screens. I noticed the keypad lit up very faintly. "The code is seven-three-nine-six. It's just a few random numbers thrown together in case someone finds either of the keypads on the outside. I thought a significant combination like a date would be too easy." He pressed a piece of paper in my hand.

I glanced at the small slip of paper. It had the numbers printed in my dad's curved writing on it. "Don't lose that and never- never- tell someone the code. The only exception is in absolutely dire situations. This is for your safety." he said it sternly at first, but softened his tone near the last sentence.

Then he typed in the code and the wall slid over revealing my bedroom. As we stepped into my room, the wall slid back into place. The door was ironically hidden behind my bookshelf. How cliché. I had to stifle a giggle from the thought of how ridiculous this all seemed.

"To get the keypad out in here, just pull that book at the very bottom out. The keypad will slide out from the side of the bookshelf. Keep this a secret. The room will be your biggest help in any dangerous situation."

My dad ruffled my hair and walked toward the door. "What did you and that boy do while he was over?" he asked in a slightly protective tone.

"We set up the art room." I pointed to the spiral stairs. "It looks great! I can't wait to paint the walls!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands together in excitement.

He grinned at me. "I bet your mother would love it." Surprisingly, his tone wasn't remorseful; it was just wistful. Then he turned and headed down the hallway.

Allowing all my emotions to settle in my mind, I sat down on my bed. I did not know what to think of the safe room. I hoped I would never, ever, have to use it. My phone's lit screen caught my attention. _Two new messages!_ It flashed.

I opened the top message without glancing at the name. _Am I still picking you up tomorrow?_ I smiled at the name unconsciously. Jace's golden image floated in my mind. I had to admit, he wasn't that bad.

_Yeah, I guess seeing you in the morning won't completely ruin my day. ;)_ I typed it and sent the message before realizing that I had just sent a flirty message… to Jace. My mouth dropped open in a small 'o', and I felt heat rush to my cheeks.

_Good, Smoothie King for breakfast?_ The reply from him was quick, almost like he had been waiting for me to text back.

I fought the urge to grin in exhilaration. _Sure. See you tomorrow. Goodnight._ I attempted to seem allusive, like it wasn't that big of a deal. I wondered why I thought I needed to be allusive. It was just Jace, right?

_Okay. Goodnight and sweet dreams Little Red._

Rolling my eyes at the nickname, I went to check the other message that happened to be a reply from Simon. _I guess plans change. I'm going to the movies with Maia Friday night anyways. Sorry._

He really sounded sorry. _Not._ I resisted the impulse to send a snappy reply, but I figured it would do more harm than good. Sighing to myself, I put my phone on my iHome and picked a song from my play list of the compilation of my favorite songs; so far, it was up to around three hundred songs. It was just the playlist filled to my most played songs.

As I sang along to the music, I worked on finishing my room. I opened a box as "Remembering Sunday" by All Time Low came on.

I hummed along quietly.

"Well I guess I'll go home now; I guess I'll go home now; I guess I'll go home now; I guess I'll go home." Alex Gaskarth's voice, tortured and heartbreaking, ended the song.

I found myself wishing desperately that I knew where home was.


	6. It's A Small World After All

The next morning, I woke up late and was way behind in getting ready. I braided my hair quickly and brushed on some concealer. Then I threw on a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and some socks. As I was pulling a t-shirt over my head, my door opened. I caught a glimpse of golden hair and yelped in surprise and embarrassment.

"By the angel! I am so sorry, Clary!" Jace's disgruntled voice mumbled. I swiftly pulled my shirt down and grabbed my bag.

Jace stood at the door with his hands covering his eyes. His hair shone and his tan skin contrasted almost perfectly with his white shirt and dark jeans. I slid my feet into some short boots and tapped Jace softly after the heat disappeared from my face.

"Hodge let me in the house and said you were usually ready by now. If I had've known…" Jace's tone was colored with shame. "I swear I would never-"

"I know." I cut him off by putting my hand over his mouth. "Let's grab some smoothies and forget this ever happened."

Jace nodded his head feverishly. "Good idea. Let's go."

* * *

"So Simon decided that we weren't hanging out tomorrow." I said before taking a long sip of my strawberry smoothie.

"Why?" Jace pulled easily into his parking spot and stared at me.

"He said, 'plans change, and I'm going to the movies with Maia instead.'" I quoted angrily.

Jace let out a whoop and threw his fist in the air. I glared at him in disbelief. "Forget him! This means you can come to the game tomorrow!" He grinned gleefully at me.

"Aw, Jace!" I complained although the grin on his face delighted me somewhat. "I'm coming over to your house Saturday though. Besides, I really hate school functions."

"Do both, please?" he begged grabbing my hand and squeezing my fingers softly. His amber eyes took in my quickly fading resolve. I could already see the growing smirk on his face.

Groaning, I replied, "I won't know anyone there, though."

"Go with Isabelle. She likes you." he replied matter-of-factly.

"But-"

"You're going." he cut me off and got out of his car.

"Are you always this rude?" I simpered as I followed behind him.

"Only on the days that end in 'y'." He smirked at me and walked into the school.

"You make me loathe having any conversation with you." I grumbled walking slowly behind him.

He rolled his eyes. "But, seriously, if I really was as rude as you like to make me out to be, I would've commented on how your red bra really compliments your skin." he teased, turning around to wink at me.

I instantly blanched. I had sincerely hoped he hadn't see anything like that this morning. "Way to prove me right." Growling, I stalked in front of him to go to English.

As I entered the classroom, I couldn't help but immediately look over at Simon. He didn't look up until he heard Jace's voice, his eyes narrowing at the sight of Jace and me together.

"Clary, I didn't mean that as an insult. It was a genuine statement." Jace chuckled at my increasingly red face. I prepared myself to ignore him and sit down, but I had no idea where to sit. "You can sit in front of me." His cool breath tickled my ear. Jace's firm grip caught my wrist and pulled me down the row next to Simon.

I heard Simon huff awfully loud, and I turned to see him spin around to face away from us. Sitting down in front of Jace, I pulled my book out. Miss. Ashley walked inside the room followed by Alec and Isabelle.

Miss. Ashley paused when she saw Jace. "Sweetie, are you sick? The bell doesn't ring for another ten minutes."

I felt Jace's body shaking from laughter behind me. "No ma'am. Clary and I left early to get smoothies." He held his cup up as proof. How he spoke seemed to not only be a reply to Miss. Ashley but to draw Simon's attention.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Simon's back tense up. "Well, Clary, I give you props for getting him here on time. This is the first time he's been here before the late bell." Miss. Ashley smiled at me before sitting down.

Alec walked awkwardly down the row and took the very last seat of the row behind Jace. Isabelle shuffled lazily to the desk to the right of me. "Hey, Jace-" Alec tried to speak but was cut off by Jace talking to Isabelle. I gave Alec a sympathetic look. It was hard to keep Jace's attention for long.

"Izzy, guess what! Clary, here, has nothing to do tomorrow night, and I managed to talk her into going to the game."

Isabelle's face lit up. "Seriously? Oh, good! I've been dying to go to a football game with someone I like. No offense to you Alec. It's not that I don't enjoy your company… you're just my twin brother and all." Alec mumbled something and looked away. The siblings were probably the exact opposite of each other. While Isabelle was loud and outspoken, Alec was quiet and subtle.

"I figured as much. So you'll pick up her up?" Jace carried the conversation as if I wasn't even there. It was like my approval wasn't needed or wanted at all.

"Pick her up?" Isabelle scoffed as she picked at her nails. "I'll be at your house around six or so. I'll help you pick out an outfit and do your hair and makeup!" She sounded genuinely excited.

Surprised at the turn of the conversation, I felt obliged to smile at her. "Well, okay. I live across the street from you."

"Great! Normally I go alone because the girls here are such… _skanks."_ I could tell she had thought of a much more colorful word for them, but she had changed her mind about saying it out loud. "Prime examples number one and two. I can't believe you hang out with them, Jace." Isabelle admonished as she pointed at the door. Aline and Kaelie paraded into the room wearing tight shirts, almost nonexistent skirts, and ugg boots.

I groaned. "Ugg boots and little skirts… classy. It's November." I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"Thank you!" Isabelle exclaimed. "God bless you, Jace! You actually did something right." She threw her arms up and laughed.

"I always do stuff right… you're mindset is just wrong, and you don't appreciate it." Jace grinned impishly.

"Shut up and don't ruin the moment." Isabelle ordered. "You were destined to be my best friend. Thank you for finally arriving." Eyes sparkling, Isabelle squeezed my arm softly and smiled. I smiled back, actually excited for tomorrow night.

* * *

"No. No. Absolutely not. No. No. Oh, yes!" Isabelle's voice floated from my closet as she chose my outfit for the game, which I didn't quite understand why I needed to dress up for it anyways. It was just a football game. "Here, try this on."

She flung a pair of dark skinny jeans and a blue and white baseball tee at me. After I glanced at the clothes, she dropped black flip-flops by my feet. Isabelle was dressed similarly, wearing partially bleached destroyed skinny jeans and a red and white baseball tee. Her bright orange painted toenails shone out from her own black flip-flops. Her dark hair was curled softly with her bangs pinned back.

"Well get dressed!" She grinned. She was a nice distraction to the whole Simon dilemma. He still hasn't talked to me since Wednesday, and Maia was ecstatic about going to the movies with him; she wouldn't shut up talking about it in pre-calculus unfortunately.

My relationship with Jace remained oddly comfortable. Although our personalities clashed quite a bit, he was the perfect balance in my life. He was interesting enough to be around. Although girls always pounced on him every chance they got, and he was clearly the biggest flirt I'd ever met in my life. But, somehow we managed to continue making our strange friendship work.

I stood up and began stripping off my clothes to put on the ones Isabelle gave me. "So I was thinking… Since Jace wanted you to come over tomorrow anyways, you should spend the night tonight. Mom won't mind, and Jace thinks it's a good idea too." Isabelle sat on my bed and stared up at me.

As I pulled the shirt over my head, I replied, "Well I guess, but wouldn't that be strange? Alec hates me, and Jace is- well, he's Jace."

"Alec doesn't hate you," Isabelle protested. "He's really protective over Jace even though Jace can handle himself. When Jace moved in with us, we were all only twelve. It was right before Christmas, and Jace was so alone. He barely spoke to anyone, and it took at least a year, maybe more, for him to even trust us. With how Jace first reacted when you got here and the fact that the anniversary of his parents' deaths is coming up, Alec is just really worried about Jace. He's scared you'll hurt Jace. Just give Alec a little time. He truly is a great guy."

"How does Jace usually act around the anniversary of their deaths?" I asked curiously.

"He doesn't really act like anything. He's blocked it out for so long. I, for one, am extremely glad you evoked some type of emotion out of him. He really needed a wake up call." Isabelle sighed and picked at my comforter. "He usually goes to the cemetery, though. He never lets anyone go with him. He hates anyone to see him upset. I'm glad he has you to talk to now. I've never seen him so carefree before." I felt a rush of happiness swell inside my stomach from her words.

"Just because of me?"

"Yeah, he actually held a conversation with me this morning without using any sarcasm. I've never been so shocked in my life." Holding a freshly manicured hand to her chest, she laughed aloud. "Now, let's get your hair done. I was thinking that we should straighten it."

Then she pulled me to the bathroom and set to work on my hair. As she brushed and pulled on my hair, my thoughts drifted off to Jace.

* * *

It was the fourth quarter of the football game with five minutes left, and the game was unbelievably close. My new school, the Shadow High Angels, was down by one, and we were on defense. Near the beginning of the game, I figured out quickly which boy on the field was Jace. Although I didn't have a clue about football, I couldn't help but cheer loudly with Isabelle every time Jace did something amazing.

He wasn't kidding when he said he was the star; he was a phenomenal player. I wouldn't be surprised if he managed to receive a full ride scholarship to play for some spectacular school after next year. I also couldn't help but admire how great he looked on the field, physically and athletically. The tight pants captured his muscular legs, and every time he moved, I could see the stretch and pull of his defined muscles.

"Isabelle, dear, where is Alexander?" A voice pulled me from my daydreams. A tall, slim young man stood in front of us. He wore tight, leather pants and a bright green shirt. His dark hair was disheveled, and he was covered head to toe in glitter.

"He didn't come to the game tonight. He's in one of his moods." Isabelle waved her hand as if to rid of Alec's foul mood.

The man laughed loudly revealing bright white teeth and plunked down in between Isabelle and myself. "Why, hello there. You must be young Clarissa. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Magnus Bane." He grinned at me. His yellow-green eyes took me in. "Is your hair naturally straight?"

"No, Isabelle straightened it earlier. Why?"

"I did a wonderful job, huh?" Isabelle piped in before her eyes followed a boy who walked by. He looked over his shoulder and threw Isabelle a coy wink, and she giggled. "Think he's hot?"

"Who Meliorn? I suppose he's nice to look at," Magnus scoffed before turning back to me. "The way your face is shaped, it fits curls better than anything else. Curly hair is gorgeous, my dear. Alexander was right when he said you were pretty." His eyes crinkled as he smiled and his tongue purred as he said Alec's name.

"Alec said I was pretty?"

"Oops, I wasn't supposed to tell you that." Magnus covered his mouth with one of his hands. Purple polish coated his fingernails and bangles of many colors slid down his arm. "All is well, I suppose. We'll keep it a secret." His cat-like eyes glinted mischievously.

I glanced back at the field. There were two minutes left, and we were back on offense. The other team had called their last time out, probably to discuss the best way to hold their measly one point lead.

I spotted Jace at the back of the huddle. He pulled his helmet off and ruffled his already unruly hair. Sweat glistened on his cheeks as he seemed to search the crowd. His eyes captured mine, so I waved ineptly. He grinned and waved back quickly. I gave him a thumbs up and clapped hoping he understood that I was wishing him luck.

He glanced down, and when they were running back onto the field, he looked at me again. "You can do it!" I mouthed at him. With a laugh, he shoved his helmet back on and ran across the field to meet the rest of the team.

Magnus squeezed my arm and gave me a perceptive look that I couldn't quite decipher.

Then the clock started again. I watched with growing anticipation. As the clock dwindled down toward one minute, I feared that we wouldn't score again. With forty seconds left, Jace faked a throw to someone down the field and then tossed it nimbly behind him, taking off across the field towards the end zone.

Magnus, Isabelle, and I all jumped up together as the ball soared through the air back to Jace. Twenty seconds remained. Jace leapt up and snagged the ball landing softly in the end zone to score a touchdown. The home side erupted into cheers.

Isabelle and I screamed and gave each other a high five. Magnus just chuckled and clapped while saying, "He managed to do it again." The game was practically over. They just ran down the clock. Once the timer ran out, Isabelle pulled me from the bleachers with a small wave to Magnus.

"Let's surprise him at the locker room. They should be out in like ten minutes." she said as we walked away from the bleachers.

It took nearly ten minutes just to shove through the crowd and get to the locker room. As we neared the locker room, I noticed a couple of football boys talking outside the door. Kaelie and Aline also were squished into the group wearing their almost nonexistent cheerleading uniforms. The boys stared appreciatively at the girls and that included Jace. I gawked at him as he grinned and let Aline press herself into him. He even grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist squeezing her into him tightly in an almost explicit manner. "Gross, the slut sisters are over there." Isabelle groaned as she stalked over to the boys. I followed mechanically, still not believing the sight of Aline and Jace right in front of my face.

Jace spotted us coming his way and jogged over, releasing Aline quickly. I had to smile at the pout that fell on her face from him ditching her. The football boys' eyes were glued to Isabelle causing Aline and Kaelie to start acting out for their attention. "Hey guys!" He grinned widely. Sweat dripped down his tan face and from his damp curls.

"Good job, Jace. That was quite a last minute play." Isabelle congratulated him. She raised her hand to pat his shoulder but seemed to think better of it and pulled back.

"Yeah, congrats!" I faked enthusiasm and patted his shoulder.

He chuckled and pulled me into a hug. I squealed and struggled to get away. In return, he hugged me tighter, pressing my face into his sweaty chest. "Thanks." he smirked as he let go of me.

"You freak! I'll smell like your body odor for days!" I complained as I wiped my face.

"Most girls would be elated to be in your position right now, Fray." Jace pointed out.

"Too bad I'm not most girls." I retorted shoving his arm. "And to think that I was going to tell you that you did great. I take back even thinking it now!"

He scoffed softly. "You complimenting me? Likely."

"I was going to before you rubbed your sweat all over me!"

"Well who is this little fireball?" A football player jogged over to Jace and was looking at me with a teasing smile. His dark, tousled hair was pushed back from his forehead, and he had piercing emerald green eyes.

Thinking about how Jace had just had his arms wrapped around Aline, I decided to test the waters with other boys. "I'm Clary. I just started school here Wednesday."

"I'm Gabriel Lightwood. It's nice to meet you Clary." He picked up my hand and kissed it softly. Slowly he pulled his lips away from my hand and stared at me.

"Well it seems this school is full of Lightwoods, huh?" I laughed, gesturing to Isabelle.

"Oh, Izzy is my cousin along with Alec and Jace. There's an older Lightwood, too. Gideon, he's my brother. He ran off with a girl somewhere, though." Gabriel shrugged with a chuckle. "He's a bit of a womanizer, just like Jace here."

"Okay, that's enough, Gabriel. We were just leaving." Gripping my arm, Jace growled.

"Oh, well okay," Gabriel pouted. "Maybe I'll catch you later, Clary? I'm pretty sure I have a couple classes with you. Bye!" He turned around and jogged off back towards the group of football guys.

"Well you were awfully rude." I simpered with a hint of a smile.

"Well he was getting awfully cozy." Jace snapped back.

I opened my mouth to reply to his remark, but Isabelle interrupted me quickly. "When you two are done arguing, just tell me. Some people would like to go home before midnight tonight." Isabelle muttered with a flick of her hair.

"Sorry." Jace and I said at the same time. He glanced wryly at me. With a small push to his chest, I followed Isabelle quickly. Jace tagged along behind me, pleasantly leaving Aline and Kaelie.

* * *

Lying on the couch, I listened to Isabelle's slow breathing. She had fallen asleep not too long ago, but I couldn't sleep at all. I sat up and glanced around the large living room.

The T.V., playing on mute, flickered casting lights and colors across the walls. The house was dead silent creating an eerie feeling to creep up my spine. The clock said it was 2:30, and I managed to imagine every horror movie scene that could apply to my situation. I shivered as I tried to shake away the image of blood. I guess my mother's death caused me to be even more fearful than I was before. Trying to find a bathroom, I stood up and began to wander around.

Eventually I found myself dreadfully lost in a long hallway. Large pictures adorned the walls, and doors lined the walls on both sides. Rustling from behind me caused the hairs on my neck to stand up.

I spun around with the image of Jason Voorhees with a chainsaw flashing through my mind. I faced only a dark corridor. With a sigh, I turned back around to run straight into a naked chest. "Lost are we?" The teasing tone accompanying his honey-sweet voice gave away exactly whom it was.

"Jace, you scared the absolute mess out of me!" I swatted at his arm.

"Boo." He grinned. His teeth gleamed in the darkness. He only wore sweat pants and exposed his bare, broad chest. I diverted my eyes in hopes of dispelling the image from my mind.

"What are you doing up?" I whispered.

"I could ask you the same thing," he smirked walking around me in a circle. "Cute attire." He winked and stopped behind me.

I whirled around to face him; he was bent down to be mere inches away from my face. His minty breath blew across my face. "I was looking for the restroom. Were you following me?" I hissed.

"Why would you think that?" he asked curtly stepping away from me.

"Well your room is upstairs, and it's past two in the morning." I pointed out closing the distance between us that he had caused.

"Hm, you're more observant than I thought." The sarcasm in his voice was unmistakable. "I came to get a late night snack, but I saw you wandering the halls. I figured I'd find out what you were doing."

"You could ease that tone you're using. I'm not a child." I growled glaring at him.

"Oh, I've noticed." His eyes shimmered as he looked me up and down.

I fought the urge to cover myself up with my hands. I was more than aware of the cool air on my bare legs and arms from wearing shorts and a tank top. He noticed the twitch of my hands and smirked again. "Would you like to see something?" Without waiting for my answer, he grabbed my hand and pulled me into one of the doors.

"What are you doing?"

"Showing you this." He flicked the light on after shutting the door. I winced as the sudden light blinded me momentarily. When I regained my vision, I glanced around the room.

Multiple paintings were set up around the room, some on the walls and some on the floor. A piano sat in the far corner, and across one wall was a built in bookcase completely full of books.

"Why did you want to show me this?" I asked walking to the middle of the room.

He shrugged. "It's probably one of the only rooms in the house you'd like, ya know, other than my room." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

I ignored him and moved over to the piano. "Who plays the piano?" I highly doubted that Isabelle would bother learning how to play any instrument, Alec just didn't seem like the musical type, and I hadn't met the Lightwood parents yet.

"Me," he whispered behind me. I spun around and gazed at him. "All the stuff in here was my parents' stuff. Those books were in my dad's study, my mom loved to collect paintings- she would have them shipped from across the country just to get her favorites- and they both taught me to play the piano." He had glided over toward me and brushed his hand across the piano softly.

Not knowing what to say, I began looking at all the paintings. They all looked eerily familiar. I paused at one that was splashed with a variety of colors. Handprints and streaks coated the painting. Looking down at the bottom corner, I gasped. In my mom's familiar, perfect handwriting was Jocelyn and Clarissa Fray signed and dated from five years ago.

Feeling lightheaded and dizzy, I stepped back to bump into Jace's chest. That was when I realized all the paintings in the room were my mom's work. I remembered them all from my mom's scrapbook she made from taking pictures of her art. A weak squeak fell from my mouth and, realizing that I was holding my breath, I breathed in.

"Clary, what's wrong?" Jace asked worriedly catching me in his arms.

"The paintings- all the paintings are my mom's." I whispered.

Jace let out a quick rush of air and pulled me over to a couch. "What are you talking about?"

"My mom painted all of these paintings. Her signature is on the corner of them all… I helped paint that one when I was eleven." I weakly pointed at it.

"Come on. Let's get you somewhere comfortable. You look like you're about to pass out." Jace mumbled picking me back up and rushing out of the room.

"No, no. I'm fine." I breathed out. Images of my mother flew through my mind. The last image was my last memory of her when we found her dead, her blood spilt all over the floor. I sucked in my breath raggedly before succumbing to darkness. The last thing I remembered was Jace's strong and warm arms holding tightly onto me.


	7. What Just Happened?

**New chapter! Yeah! Sorry this one is so short, and so late. Whoops... but the next one shall be long and interesting! ****_Wink, wink. ;)_ but yeah, I hope the end sort of, kinda makes up for the lack of words. This was mainly just a filler chapter. The next chapter will be full of awesomeness and drama. So please review! I don't care what you say in the review. I'll take anything as long as I know the story is being read. Thanks guys!**

* * *

When I regained consciousness, a piercing shock of pain shot through my head. Knowing that opening my eyes would only make the pain more persistent, I kept my eyes closed and gripped the area around me. Silk and cotton rubbed against my hands before I touched something warm and fleshy.

My eyes shot open. Despite the flare of pain, I sat up and stared at Jace's sleeping form. His chest rose and fell at an even tempo, and his hair fell over his face in a mess of golden curls. Ignoring the pain for a moment, I reveled in the stunning beauty of him. Sunlight streamed through the white curtains of his window and spilled over his naked chest. His tan skin practically soaked in the sunlight.

Attempting to remember how I had gotten into what was presumably Jace's room, I fell back down onto the bed. Jace mumbled something and stirred rolling over to face me. His amber eyes fluttered opened slowly and he stared at me for a moment. "Good morning." Remaining in his position, he grinned.

"Good morning," I smiled back as he pulled himself up to lean on his arm. "So would you mind telling me how I got into your bed?" I asked as his face took on a serious composure.

"You don't remember?" His response surprised me, seeing as how he didn't reply with some suggestive or sarcastic remark. Upon registering my confusion, he sat up completely. "Last night we-"

"Oh, God, no. We didn't, uh, _you know_, did we?" I sat up quickly as his serious expression turned into one of humor.

"Would it really be _that _bad if we did? I am sorely hurt, Clary." Jace gripped his chest in mock sorrow. "But, seriously, I am appalled that you would think so low of me as to hook up with a girl after only knowing her for five days." Jace smirked at the horrified expression on my face.

"I didn't mean it like that! It's not that it wouldn't have been- I mean, not that you're not attractive it's just- Well, I mean, I've only known you for a few days, and we aren't-" I felt my cheeks heat up at the burning embarrassment. I was flustered, especially since images of Jace being completely naked flashed through my mind. "Oh, god, Jace, you know what I mean!"

He chuckled at my growing distress. "But seriously, you passed out last night, Clary. I was afraid you were hurt. I woke up at eight to ask Maryse whether we should bring you to the hospital, but she just told me to let you sleep it off."

"What time is it?"

"Oh, it's two in the afternoon." Jace replied after looking over at the clock on his bedside table.

"Holy crap! Are you serious?" I flung the covers off of me revealing my almost bare legs, and Jace watched me with amusement as I tried to climb out of his bed.

"Clare, what on earth are you doing?" Stopping me before I could climb over him, Jace asked.

"Isabelle must be so mad. I didn't even sleep in the living room with her last night."

"She knows you passed out, plus today is my day with you. She had you all day yesterday." Jace smirked before pulling me back down beside him.

"So what are we going to do, then? I thought I was supposed to be helping you with pre-calc." I whispered as we laid together.

"We can still study… I just don't want you to overwork yourself. I rather enjoy you more when your conscious." I stuck my tongue out at him as he smirked that signature smirk.

He got out of the bed and padded over to the desk in his room. As he walked my eyes automatically trailed his body. His blonde hair was ruffled slightly and sticking up in random places. His exposed back rippled as his muscles coiled from stretching. My eyes almost popped out of my head when I realized he was no longer in sweat pants, though. Instead, in the sweat pants' place was boxers, plain, silver boxers, but boxers nonetheless. I refrained my self from covering my eyes like a little kid.

"So are we going to just sit in here all day and study?" I asked, avoiding the urge to look back at his body again.

The bed sunk down beside me as Jace slid down onto his chest facing away from me. I followed suit and lied down beside him. "You act as if it's not already two. We'll study for a bit, and then we can just hang out." He pulled out his pre-calculus book, his notebook, and a calculator. "But seriously, I _really _need to pass this test if I can play the state game."

"Why would you decide just now to start passing the class?" I laughed as he glared at me. He flipped open the book to the chapter we were on and opened his notebook to a blank page.

"Because I didn't realize my grade was so bad until Mr. Byrd decided to drop the bomb on me that if I don't make a 'B' on this test, there's no way under any circumstances that I will get to play. Then you showed up; I feel like if that's not a coincidence, I don't know what will be. You were my angel sent down from New York." He grinned and tapped his chin with a pen.

"Oh, shut up." I swatted at him. "Let's get this over with. I'd rather not spend the rest of my Saturday looking at pre-calc."

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" He saluted me and began to copy down an equation. I couldn't hold back the giggle as he kept throwing coy glances my way.

* * *

When Maryse, Alec and Isabelle's mother, called to Jace from downstairs to announce that dinner was ready, fear seized me. From the conversations between studying and getting to know each other, Jace described Maryse as a strict and scary woman. He dragged me downstairs, and before I knew it, I was sitting next to him at the dining room table.

Isabelle sat across from me with Alec next to her, across from Jace. An empty seat was placed to my right, and the two seats at the head of each side of the table sat empty. Then a little boy, who happened to be an exact replica of Isabelle and Alec, bounded into the room. I stared at the boy in awe. I couldn't help but immediately think of Simon when I gazed at the small boy.

His oversized glasses fell loosely to the end of his nose, and his shaggy, black hair hung carelessly above his eyes. He looked just like Simon when Simon was younger. He dashed over to the empty seat next to me and sat down. He stared at me with wide, brown eyes. "Who are you?"

"Max!" Maryse, who just stepped into the room carrying a plate of food, admonished. "Don't bed rude!"

"Sorry, mom." Max hung his head slightly.

"Oh, no, it's okay!" I jumped to Max's rescue. "I'm Clary Fray."

Distracting me from Max's grin was a clatter of dishes falling to the floor and an audible gasp. All the heads in the room turned to look at Maryse who was staring down at the mess on the floor with wide, fearful. She coughed, clearing her throat and looked back up at us all. "Oh, I've been so clumsy all day. I guess it's a good thing that it was just the salad." She muttered something else and disappeared into the kitchen.

Everyone's eyes met one another's in confusion. I took in a ragged breath, knowing that something must have happened to cause her to just drop everything like that.

* * *

"You know you can stay another night, if you'd like." Jace whispered lowly, his voice deep and alluring.

I smiled at him. "Dad doesn't really like me staying out a lot. He gets scared. Thanks for dinner though." I mumbled back, avoiding any thoughts on how awkward the past hour had been.

Maryse had been desperate to redeem herself after the plate incident, but I could see how me being there affected her. I wondered if she was like Alec and just decided that she didn't like me. She stuttered an awful lot the whole time she carried a conversation with me, which Jace would whisper to me about how that was so abnormal.

I wanted to stick my head in a toilet and drown myself with a swirly because of how bad dinner went. Robert, the Lightwood's father, came to dinner right before it started. When he asked for my name, the look on his face was enough to make me want to offer myself up to a pack of wolves. He seemed as uncomfortable as Maryse, and he actually ended up getting up and leaving dinner thirty minutes into it. Bad was probably an understatement.

Jace stared at me through heavily lidded eyes. The look on his face was smoldering me, and I took in a deep gasp of air to settle myself. "Well, at least let me walk you home, then." His fingers grazed my arm as he leaned back to shut the door. "Come on, let's get you home."

Hot fingers pressed against my back as he led me down the long, winding path of his driveway. We didn't talk the whole walk to my house, a calm silence filled the air.

As we neared the door to my house, Jace stopped me. "I'm sorry last night was so awful. Maybe next time you won't faint." He smirked at me, and I could almost see the gears in his head turning. "I know my stunning good looks are hard to get over, but eventually we'll get you to the point to where you don't pass out after being near me for so long."

Despite how conceited his words were, I couldn't help but laugh at him. "Wow, you're _so _funny. No wonder you get all the ladies."

"Yeah, I know. The wit usually helps." His smirk turned into a lazy, crooked grin. "Get some sleep tonight, okay? And seriously, don't pass out again. I doubt that's good for your health. I'll pick you up Monday, okay?"

"Sir, yes sir." I mimicked his words from earlier today.

He chuckled. "Have a good Sunday." he mumbled the words, but it seemed like he wanted to say something more. I opened my mouth to ask him what was wrong, but I was stopped by a swift kiss to the cheek.

I froze, staring at Jace's unruffled face. "Goodnight." It was a whisper, and he spun around quickly. Walking briskly with a tense demeanor, he disappeared into the shadows instantly.

I brought a hand up to my steadily warming cheek. The spot where his lips had been burned my cold fingers. I was stunned; _what had just happened?_


	8. You're Next

**Sorry this chapter took so long. I had such a bad case of writer's block, and I didn't want to post another crappy excuse for a chapter like the last. Guess what though? I made this chapter almost 3,500 words long. Eh? Eh? Yeah... no. ): I still feel bad. By the time I had half of it written, I had to go to Girls State and we weren't allowed to bring our laptops, and I had no free time during the week to even write in my notebook, so it was like boo! Oh, well... forgive me and review please? It's getting better I promise! I have plenty of free time now since it's summer, so chapters galore! :D**

* * *

Sunday passed by in a blur, and now I sat in Miss. Ashley's class to begin yet another long and dreadful week. Luckily, though, Thanksgiving Break was just around the corner.

Jace sat behind me, tapping on his desk impatiently. The room was empty except for a couple other students.

"Would you stop that?" I snapped. Mondays are hardly the day to be irritating.

"Why?" I could feel the sly grin in his voice.

"Your annoying nervous habits are…well, annoying." I spun around to face him.

"They're not nervous habits." He protested hastily. "Besides, I'm not nervous. I'm bored. Why'd we get here so early?"

"You're the one who barged into my house at 7:15."

"I—" Before his usual, sarcastic remark could be finished, Isabelle skipped into the room, her eyes shining. She was screaming about something.

"There's a new student; it's a boy."

"So?" Jace asked lazily, falling back into his seat.

Disappointed in his lack of response, Isabelle turned her attention towards me. "I wasn't speaking to him anyways." She slid into the desk next to me and stared at me expectantly.

With a small glance toward Jace, I asked, "What's his name?" She'd have a fit if I didn't at least pretend to pay attention.

"Sebastian Verlac. Isn't his name so intriguing? Or mysterious? Maybe it's just plain sexy..." She looked off into the distance, eyes glazed over. I already could tell that Isabelle loves her boys.

Jace chuckled softly and leaned back up. His breath tickled the back of my neck as he spoke lowly. "Names don't make anyone attractive or whatever else you're interested in, Izzy."

She sighed loudly and glared at him. "So what you're trying to say is that his name means nothing?"

"I didn't say that, dear sister. I was just saying his name doesn't make him mysterious or intriguing. Actually, I feel like it's the exact opposite. I think of that red lobster thing from _The Little Mermaid_."

"Jace, I think that was a crab." I laughed before turning to receive his mind-blowing grin.

"You two are the worst!" Isabelle exclaimed, exasperated. "Either way, I've seen him, and he's H-O-T, _hot."_

"You also think Simon is hot, but you're obviously mistaken there." Jace waggled his eyebrows just as Simon walked through the door.

I stared at him for a few seconds before he looked up and stared back at me. He looked tired, and even a little upset. I fought the urge to stand up and hug him. Distantly, I could hear Jace and Isabelle bickering, but my attention stayed focused on Simon. He sat down beside me quickly and looked down.

"Simon," I whispered, ignoring the patronizing looks from Isabelle and Jace. "Are you all right?"

He looked up at me in surprise and nodded slowly. "Why are you talking to me?" His tone wasn't rude, but I knew how he meant it.

"Because you're my best friend, and I don't like this whole ignoring thing you're doing." I tried not to snap at him, but I could feel the undercurrent in my voice.

He glared at me for a couple seconds before replying. "Do we really have to talk about this while your boyfriend listens in?"

"He's not my boyfriend! And besides, you won't answer any of my calls or texts, so when am I supposed to talk to you about this?"

"Then _what_ is he?"

"A friend who's been here for me more than my best friend has, and that's sad. The fact that you would just ditch me because I've gotten along with him better than you have is pathetic. I thought you were better than this, but obviously you've changed since I knew you in New York." I lowered my voice to a whisper and turned away from him.

Rubbing my eyes to rid of the tears, I looked back at Jace and Isabelle. Isabelle smiled at me softly and turned away to watch the door, probably in search for her brother. Jace's face was hard. His golden eyes darkened and his lips were stuck in a hard, straight line. "Are you okay?" he said with a soft voice, unlike any tone I'd heard him use before.

"Yeah, whatever. It doesn't matter." I said before putting my head down on the desk. He turned to glare harshly at Simon before rubbing my arm with an unusual softness.

The room filled up quickly, leaving only a few seats open. Then _he _walked in. He was as tall, if not taller, as Jace with charcoal black hair and dark, piercing eyes. He had a strange air to him, like he was used to catching people's attention. His eyes scanned the room and landed on me. With a grin, he stalked over toward me.

"Excuse me, is this seat occupied?" he asked in a smooth, delicate voice.

"Not that I know of." I said, tearing my gaze away from him.

Jace had sat back up, his back rigid. His hand still touched my arm, but he pulled it back quickly. Isabelle made a soft sound, almost like a sigh, when the boy sat down in front of me, and Jace made a quiet gagging noise.

The boy spun back around and smiled at me softly, obviously not paying any attention to Jace or Isabelle. "Would you mind telling me your name? I'm new here, and I haven't actually met anyone yet."

"I'm Clary Fray, and this is Isabelle Lightwood," I gestured towards Izzy, who seemed to desperately want the boy's attention. He looked at her for a brief minute and stared back at me. "And this is Jace Herondale." Jace glared at the boy with an eerie sort of hatred; the boy didn't seem to notice at all.

"I'm Sebastian Verlac. My dad and I just moved here this weekend."

"Oh, I'm new here too. I used to live in New York, but Dad wanted to move here to change things up." I said as Sebastian leaned in eagerly.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Sebastian asked suddenly, his eyes on Jace. Jace had somehow moved even closer to me, hovering behind me like a protective bodyguard.

"I, uh—"

"Yes, I am." Jace spoke up, his voice low and clear. Isabelle and I both whipped our heads to stare at him in shock. Jace shrugged with a calculated movement. "And I would appreciate it greatly if you would stop ogling her."

Sebastian chuckled. It was a dark, menacing sound. "I understand. I hope you didn't think I was trying to steal her away or something." The undertone of his voice had a certain current to it. I couldn't tell what he meant by his words, but I knew it wasn't exactly what he had said.

Jace's face darkened. "You wouldn't be able to anyways."

* * *

I sat in my room, finishing my pre-calculus homework. Isabelle dropped me off from school because Jace had football practice, so I was alone; Dad was still at work, and Hodge was nowhere to be found.

Simon hadn't talked to me since Miss. Ashley's class, and Sebastian was strangely in all my classes today. Jace didn't seem too fond to hear about that. As I closed my pre-calculus book, I heard a crash from downstairs, like something large had fallen down.

I stood up quickly and crossed my room. "Hodge? Is that you?" I called out as I opened the door. No response followed. I crept quietly out of my room and peered over the banister to the first floor. Another crash sounded from the living room, but I couldn't see into the room. Then a dark figure clothed in all black moved silently into view. I froze, shocked. _Were we being robbed_?

The figure wasn't holding anything, but it seemed like he or she was looking for something in particular. My phone made a dinging sound, and the person looked up toward me. I dropped down quickly and watched as the figure, who looked too tall and muscular to be a woman, turn toward the stairs.

Holding my breath, I crawled quickly back to my room and grabbed my phone. I could hear the intruder taking loud, echoing steps up the stairs. I ran to the bookshelf and pulled the book down. The keypad slid out silently just like Dad said it would. Trembling viciously, I attempted to type the combination in the keypad twice before I actually did it correctly. The bookshelf slid back and I dove into the room. The door closed quietly behind me.

With a deep breath to calm myself, I looked down at my phone. I had a text from Jace, but before I could open it, I turned it on silent, afraid that the intruder might hear from outside if I got another message.

_Just got done with practice. I'm coming over._ I read the message twice before I heard my bedroom door open. I spun around, gripping my phone so tight that I could feel my heartbeat in my thumb, and stared at the monitors. The one that was set on my room showed the man looking around. He looked under my bed and opened my closet. Then he looked up at the swirling stairs. When he disappeared up the stairs, I moved deeper into the safe room and went down to the lower part of the safe room.

When I got to the bottom part of the safe room, I heard someone calling out from somewhere in the house. "Clary? Clary, where are you?" _Jace_.

With trembling fingers I typed a quick message to him. I stared at the monitors and watched. The man left my art room, obviously hearing Jace's shouts. I watched as he passed through my room and went down the upstairs hallway and neared the stairs. _Where was Jace? _I told him how to get into the safe room. He should be here by now.

The figure began to descend the stairs; I held my breath, and the door behind me flew open. I yelped quietly before the door was shut, and Jace crossed the room to me. "Clary, what on earth is going on?" Jace moved toward me and sat down in the chair next to me. I didn't say anything, but I pointed at the screens.

Jace glared at the monitors with a calm face. "Is it a robber?"

"I don't know… At first I thought so, but he hasn't actually taken anything yet, and it seems like he's looking for something."

Jace pursed his lips and continued to stare at the screens. "When you were talking to Simon that first day you were here, you said something about how they didn't catch your mom's murderer… Do you think he'd come after you too?"

"What? No. I mean, yeah, he might, but that guy is too small to kill my mom."

"It doesn't take a big guy to pick up a gun, Clary." he said it with a harsh clarity.

"She was stabbed to death, not shot." The ice in my voice surprises me.

"Well how big do you think her murderer is, then?" He stood up from the seat he was in and started pacing the room. "We're hidden in here, right? There's no way that guy can get in here."

"There are only three people who know about this place: me, you, and my dad."

"Would your dad want you dead?"

"What the heck, Jace? It wasn't my dad who killed my mom. I was with him when she was killed!"

"I wasn't insinuating anything; I was just asking."

"Well, he wouldn't. He had this place built for me in case something like this happened." I stood up too and stared at the screen. The intruder was now in the kitchen, searching. He opened pantry doors and closets and pulled and threw things out.

"Do you think maybe it's Simon? Maybe he's just trying to scare you, or maybe he's trying to get back at you for becoming friends with me?"

I looked back at the monitor, considering the thought. Simon was probably mad enough at me to do it, but, as I stared at the person, I knew it wasn't him. "That's not Simon. Simon is much shorter."

"Simon isn't _that _short."

"He's shorter than you, and that person looks about your height, maybe taller."

"When's your dad supposed to be home?" Jace asked, sitting back down again.

"After five… Hodge is supposed to be here, but when I got home, I couldn't find him anywhere."

"Do you think that—"

"Shh, look!" I whispered it, even thought I knew the intruder couldn't hear me. The guy had moved back to the front of the house and was facing the door, his back toward the camera. He pulled his mask off to reveal a shock of dark hair. I held my breath, hoping he'd turn around, but he shoved the mask back on. Jace breathed out raggedly, probably hoping for the same thing I had been. Then he was out the door, like he'd never even been in the house seconds before.

We both sat where we were for a couple minutes, unsure of whether the intruder would come back or not. Finally, after watching every single monitor for thirty minutes straight, in dead silence, Jace suggested that we should look around the house for clues or something. I thought the idea was possibly the most idiotic thing I'd ever heard, but I didn't want to be left alone in the safe room, watching Jace clamber about my house in search of anything suspicious.

As we crept around the house, I realized that all the intruder did was cause a huge mess. Books from my dad's office were strewn throughout the whole house. Two mirrors in the living room were shattered; the kitchen's broom closet was spilled open, cleaning utensils scattered onto the floor. Food from the fridge was smashed or thrown on the floor. When we got to my room, I had braced myself for the worst. Surprisingly, though, my room was still the way it was—not even one pillow or book out of place.

"It doesn't seem like this person wanted to take anything. They just wrecked your house." Jace mumbled as he moved to sit on my bed.

I couldn't bring myself to believe that my room hadn't even been touched. With a gasp and dawning realization, I sprinted toward the spiraling staircase. _Oh, no. No. No. No. _I could hear Jace's quick intake of breath and his steps as he followed me up the stairs. At first it didn't seem like anything was wrong. Almost everything looked exactly as it had when Jace and I set the room up, but I noticed that red paint trailed along the floor toward one of the once plain white walls.

Jace sucked in his breath, noticing the wall. I couldn't bring myself to take my eyes off the horrifying sight. Slowly I moved toward the wall with an outstretched hand. When my fingers touched the words slung on the wall, I felt the slickness of still wet paint. Pulling back, I stared at the writing. In a sickly, dripping manner, the words wrote out only two words. The red paint dripped and reminded me of fresh blood. I couldn't breathe.

"_You're next." _My heart pounded once quickly and stopped for a moment. Underneath the words was a picture of my mother, right after she was killed. My head pounded with a dull ache, and I could feel my legs beginning to give out. Jace strode up to the picture and ripped it down. Seething, he spun back around to face me. "Who would do this?" He spat the words out angrily.

Subconsciously, I knew. I knew exactly who would follow my dad and me to Florida and do something like this. I just didn't want to believe that someone hated me and my parents so much that he would torture me like this. Shaking my head slowly, I tried to form words, but my mouth just moved gradually and painfully.

Jace grabbed my hand and pulled me back down the stairs and into my room. With the picture still in his hand, he began to pace around the room, something he seemed to do in any stressful situation. "Jace," I whispered his name, but he couldn't hear me. He continued pacing unnervingly and mumbled occasionally under his breath. "Jace!" His head snapped up, and his golden eyes took me in with a slow deliberateness.

"What, Clary?"

"I think I know who did this."

"Then who?"

"It has to be someone working for the man who killed my mom. I mean, who else would have a picture like that." I choked on the end of the sentence, trying fretfully to forget what the picture looked like.

Jace looked as if he were about to say something, but then he paused as a sound from downstairs floated towards my room. My body automatically tightened, scared that the person had come back. A sound like the front door slamming sounded, and then keys being tossed on a counter.

"Clary? Clary, are you all right?" My dad's worried voice echoed throughout the house. I ran out of my room and down the stairs to the kitchen, not bothering to see if Jace had followed me. My dad stood in the middle of the kitchen, staring at the huge mess all around him. When he noticed me, he grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me into his chest. "Please tell me you made this mess."

"No, Dad, I—Dad, someone broke into the house. I hid in the safe room. Jace and I checked the whole house, and I don't think anything was stolen, but you need to see something." I rushed the words out before I could stop myself from finishing the story.

My dad pushed me back suddenly and then looked past me. I turned my head to see Jace leaning again the counter patiently, still gripping the picture grimly in his hands. "I thought I told you that the safe room was just for you and me to know about." Dad didn't really sound mad, just frightened. As he spoke in a hushed whisper, his eyes moved to Jace, and I could tell he was deep in thought.

"Jace walked in when the person broke in. I didn't want him to get hurt!" I argued back, probably loud enough for Jace to understand what we were talking about.

Dad sighed softly. "Well, it's obviously not Jace who came after you anyways. What did you need to show me?"

Jace crossed the room to my dad and me in a few, easy strides. Held between the very edges of his fingers, in danger of slipping through his lax grip, the picture flopped over. I knew what was on the picture, and I held my breath as my dad took it slowly from Jace.

The silence was deadly. The air was charged with an unreadable shock of horror. Finally, after what seemed like hours, my dad spoke. His words were calm, but I could see the pain and fear lanced in his eyes. "Where did you find this?"

"It was tacked to the wall in Clary's art room… under the words that this guy painted." Jace spoke up. His voice was deep, husky. I could tell he was upset, even if he was hiding it behind his mask of indifference.

"What were the words?" The words almost tumbled out of my dad's lips as soon as Jace answered him.

Jace's eyes met mine, and for a brief moment, I could see the complete fear and worry etched deeply into his eyes. I wondered idly if he was really that scared for me. He swallowed, and I could see his Adam's Apple bob up and down before he spoke carefully. "'You're next.'"

I could practically see the explosion that erupted inside my father's head. "Where's Hodge?"

"I have no idea. When the guy broke in, he wasn't here…" I replied softly.

My dad cursed and kicked at a few broken eggshells on the floor. "Clare Bear," His eyes captured mine instantly; then he stared at Jace. "Clary, I need you to go upstairs for me, okay? I need to talk to Jace for a minute, and everything will be fine, I promise."

Jace looked just as surprised as I felt, but he said nothing. I, on the other hand, couldn't hold back my outburst. "Why?"

"I need Jace to do me a favor. Then he'll be right back upstairs with you. Pinky promise." He held out his pinky in a weak gesture to get me to trust him. Vaguely, I remember the times that we would pinky promise on everything. Now the idea of promising anything seemed utterly ridiculous. What was there left to guarantee anyways?

"It's okay, Clary. I want to talk to your dad anyways." Jace nodded me on.

Although I was scared, and more than a bit confused, I looped my pinky around my dad's and whispered, "Pinky promise." Then with a worried glance over at Jace, I turned and headed back to my room.


	9. MindBlowing

**It's really short... I know. But I wanted to update, and I wanted the next chapter to be all on its own. Plus I figured this chapter would be all right how it is. Review because y'all are awesome ;D**

* * *

I heard Jace behind me before I saw him. I sat in front of the ugly, dripping paint, knowing I couldn't paint over it yet. He moved quietly and sat down next to me. "We can paint over this after the police have looked at it." he whispered.

I turned and looked at him. He had dark circles under his eyes, and I couldn't help but wonder what he and my dad talked about. It seemed to have been a short conversation, lasting only a brief ten minutes. "What if he killed me?" I asked. I wasn't planning on asking him that, or even thinking that, but now that the idea was out there, I knew that it was the big issue.

"I would have saved you." he answered simply. He tried to smile, but instead, it came out as a grimace.

I lied back on my back and stared up at the white ceiling. "What if you were too late?"

He joined me, sliding over so that every inch of our body was touching. His shoulder brushed my shoulder, his knee bumped my knee, and his hip grazed mine. "I wouldn't have been."

Without a hesitation, I gripped his fingers in mine. He responded automatically by working our hands around to slide his fingers between mine tightly. It was such a small gesture, but it had already warmed me slightly. We lied there together for what felt like hours in silence. His company more soothing than anything else I could ask for.

"Clary? Are you up here?" A voice I would've never expected to hear floated up the stairs. Jace and I both sat up to watch Simon pop up from the stairs. In the process our hands had became disentangled, and I was glad that Simon didn't intrude in our personal moment. He stopped when he saw Jace, but after a glance behind us at the wall, he ran over and scooped me up in his arms. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. I should've been here!"

I hugged him back and nuzzled my face in his shirt. "It's fine. You were mad at me."

He pushed me back and wiped a tear from my face—I hadn't even noticed I was crying. "No, no. I was dumb for being mad at you. I don't care who you're friends with… just don't forget to include me every once in a while."

With a half laugh-half sob, I squished myself into him again. "Thanks. I've missed you." I mumbled into his shirt.

"I missed you too, Fray." he chuckled.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but the police are here, and they want to talk to Clary and Jace about the break in." My dad stood at the stairs with a police officer behind him. The police officer moved around my dad and began snooping around the room, moving empty boxes with his booted feet and peering into the boxes that were still full. I stared at him incredulously.

Obviously noticing my looks, he turned and smiled at me. "Sorry. I was assigned to check the room for any clues." He was tall and brown-skinned with long dark hair that tumbled over his forehead and down his neck in curls. With broad shoulders, high cheekbones, and startling hazel-green eyes, he was easily handsome. He also looked young—too slim and muscular to have been on the force for long.

"Hey Jordan." Simon acknowledged him easily.

"Oh, hey Simon. How have you been, man?" The police officer, Jordan, came over and shook hands with Simon.

"I've been good. When did you start working on the field? I thought you were still the coffee and donuts grabber." Simon joked and patted Jordan on the back in that way that boys did to look manly.

"Just recently. That's why I'm looking for clues and not staying down there while they talk to them. Apparently I'm too young to understand the art of question and answer." Jordan rolled his eyes as he gestured toward Jace and myself.

"Well I guess that means we better head down to talk to the others, huh? Don't be afraid to stop by my house sometime. Mom misses you."

"Will do, man. Don't get in trouble." Jordan grinned at Simon and then at Jace and myself.

We followed my dad down the stairs and toward the dining room on the first floor. "When did you become best friends with a cop?" I asked when we left my room.

"He graduated high school last year. We used to hang out a lot. It's really not that big of a deal." Simon replied softly.

"That's why he looks so young!" I exclaimed.

Jace grinned at me and bumped my side affectionately. "Yeah, he said college wasn't for him, so he decided to go to police academy and start a career. I don't really see him too much." Simon said, ignoring Jace completely.

When we walked into the dining room, the two police officers who were conversing in the chairs stopped talking and gazed up at us. Dad moved quietly over to the chair across from the men and slumped down instantly. I could only imagine how stressed he must've felt since he got home. The memories of our last dealings with the police was enough to exhaust and depress anyone.

"I would say that this is my cue to leave. Call me tonight, Clary. See ya, Jace." Simon said before hugging me quickly and nodding at Jace. He was out the doors in seconds.

I turned back around and let Jace guide me into the chair next to my dad. Jace sat down next to me and folded his hands on the table. For a moment the room was silent. The two police officers shuffling through papers and whispering to each other. Finally, when I had reached the point that I thought I was going to pass out from the anxiety, one of the men spoke up. "Clarissa?" He waited for me to nod my head. "Can you tell me exactly what happened up until the intruder left?" His mustache moved along with his mouth, and his dark eyes searched mine imploringly.

"Yeah, sure. I was in my room finishing my pre-calc homework about forty-five minutes after Isabelle Lightwood dropped me off when I heard this crash from downstairs. I figured it was Hodge, our butler, but when I called out to him, he never replied. He wasn't even home. Then there was another crash and this guy dressed in all black stepped out into my view. I got a text from Jace and the intruder heard it. I ran back into my room and grabbed my phone and entered the safe room from upstairs. Jace came over and I told him the code to get into the safe room."

I took a breath and watched as the other police officer jotted down everything I said, word for word. "When Jace got in the safe room with me, we watched the intruder for a little while—probably like fifteen minutes tops, and then he went back to the front door, took his mask off, put it back on, and disappeared. We waited for thirty minutes to see if he'd come back, but he didn't. Then we checked the whole house for clues, and eventually we found my art room. That's it."

"He took his mask off? What did he look like?" Mustache asked gruffly.

"He had black hair. He wasn't facing the camera. I only saw the back of him. He was tall and muscular, and looked pretty young from what I could tell. If I knew anything else, I would've already said it." I snapped. I remembered all too well how the cops were like in New York after Mom's murder, and I just wanted to skip the whole "don't hold back information" thing. They always acted as if I didn't want them to find the murderer or intruder.

"How did you know to check your art room?"

'We checked the whole house because he went around the whole house. I wasn't really expecting to see a death threat and a picture of my _dead_ mother on my wall. I'm not the intruder, so don't treat me like one." I stood up and pushed my chair back. I really didn't need this right now.

Jace stood up beside me smoothly. "Clary," my dad said softly. He wasn't upset at me, but he did seem entirely exhausted.

"We just have a couple more questions, and then we'll check out your art room and be gone." Mustache said, holding out his hands in a gesture that spoke of peace.

"Then ask them." Jace grumbled and remained standing.

"Why are you here Mister…?" Mustache asked with a uncertain tilt of the head, leaving an opening for Jace to say his name.

"My name is Jace Herondale. You know that. You were one of the cops that was on the site after my parents were killed." Jace growled slapping his hands on the table and leaning over.

"Oh, yeah, you were that kid that survived somehow. Why _weren't_ you killed too?" Mustache grumbled with a glint in his eyes. "Maybe you had something to do with their murder and now you're involved in this scheme."

My eyes widened at the officer's suggestive tone. I could see Jace's mouth tighten and the veins in his neck and temple pulse irregularly. "If you think I could kill both of my parents when I was twelve years old and not be completely covered in blood, then you have overestimated my talents. And the fact that you would imply that I was even involved in any crimes is absolutely ridiculous. You should be suspended just for doing that. So thanks for _helping _out here. You've really gotten more done than Clary and I have. I'll be leaving, and don't bother trying to get any more information from me because my story is the same as Clary's." He pushed himself away from the table. His words were so calm, it was scary.

Then he was out of the dining room, and a few seconds later, the slam of the front door echoed through the house. "You're a sick bastard." I spat before running to catch up with Jace. He was almost halfway to his car at the end of the driveway, and I had to sprint to make it to him. "Jace, are you all right?" I said in between deep gasps of air. Running was _so_ not for me.

He brought his hand down and smacked down on his car hard. "Am I all right? What kind of _stupid _question is that?" he lashed out at me. He turned around and fixed his glare on me.

"The kind of question you ask when you have no idea what else to say to someone!" I yelled back. "I'm sorry I care." The last part was a whisper, so quiet I figured he couldn't hear it.

He stopped moving and watched me. "What?"

"What do you mean what?" I asked as he took a step toward me. He rubbed his hands against his face.

"What did you say?"

"That I had no idea what else to say…?" I replied timidly.

"No, after that." He took another step, and we were so close we were almost touching.

My breath caught in my throat. His body heat radiated in waves off him, and I could feel my pulse racing at how close his body was to mine. "I'm sorry I care." I whispered, looking down in embarrassment.

"Say it again." he mumbled near my ear. I shivered as his cool breath tickled my cheek.

"I care about you." Then I looked up to see his eyes glowing a bright amber color, and I almost melted right then. The next few seconds disappeared as soon as he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me into his body. Our lips instantly crashed together, and, somehow, in the process he maneuvered our bodies around to where I was pressed against his car. He held himself up against the car with his hands, peppering kisses all over my forehead, temples, cheeks, chin, and side of the mouth.

Then he caught my mouth again in a deep and mesmerizing kiss. I twisted my hands in his hair and his hands gripped my face tenderly. With a few more swift kisses on my lips, he said, "I care about you too… a lot." Then he pulled back and grinned at me. The chip in his tooth looked so endearing that I had to fight the urge to kiss him again. "Would you come to the football game for me this Friday? I know it's like two hours away, but it's the championship… and I'd really like to have you there supporting me." he tacked on afterwards with a shy smile that was so unlike him, I laughed lightly.

"Of course. I'll be your number one fan!" I teased, poking his stomach easily.

He grinned again. "Good, you can ride with me, Isabelle, and Alec there. We have to leave right after school, and bring clothes because you're spending the night this weekend."

I pursed my lips. "Well, okay then _master_."

He chuckled at my expression and kissed me on the lips again. "I'll pick you up for school tomorrow, okay? And maybe after practice we can paint your wall."

"Okay, see you in the morning." I said as he kissed my cheek and climbed into his car. I waved as he backed out of my driveway, and then when I knew he was gone, I touched my lips softly. _Holy Crap._

* * *

"Clary," I heard my name being called, and faintly I registered that it wasn't a very familiar voice calling it, but I was so dazed, that I could barely pull my eyes away from the board. "Psst, Clary." Then someone tapped my shoulder harshly.

I turned around to glare at Simon. "What?"

"That new kid has been calling your name for the past ten minutes. How can you not hear him?" Simon muttered, fixing a glare on Sebastian. It looked like Simon had finally found someone to hate more than Jace.

"Sorry… I'm so out of it." I apologized and looked over at Sebastian.

Sebastian grinned and mouthed, "Are you going to the game Friday night?" I nodded my head softly, remembering the kisses Jace and I had shared the day before. "Can I ride with you?" he mouthed again. I picked up my shoulders in a shrug. I highly doubted Jace would let Sebastian ride with them. It had been a fight with Jace and Isabelle _both _to let Simon ride.

"What is he saying?" Simon asked, drawing my attention away from Sebastian's confused face.

"He wants to know if he can ride with me to the game Friday." I answered, picking up my pen and scribbling a note down to Sebastian. I folded it into a paper plane and threw it at Sebastian's desk when Coach Hunt, my American History teacher, turned and began writing on the board.

"What did that say? Jace will have a fit if he knows that you're communicating with the enemy." Simon hissed, jabbing me hard in the back.

"Ouch. Damn… I thought Jace was the enemy."

"He was—_is_. But we have put aside our differences and united together to band against a common enemy. _Him_."

I sighed. "Is this because Isabelle thinks he's cute?"

Simon gasped. "Absolutely not. Why would you think that?"

"Because you obviously have a thing for her. I've seen those goo-goo eyes you give her. It's kinda sickening."

"And the looks you give Jace aren't sickening? Puh-lease." he scoffed and reached down. "By the way, your new admirer has awfully paper-plane-throwing skills." He handed me the now dismembered plane. I frowned and snatched it from him.

"Whatever." I opened it and read over it quickly. My note to him said that I was riding with the Lightwoods and Jace, so he'd have to ask them. His reply was a simple, "I guess I'll see you Friday night then," with a winky face.

"Jace is not gonna like that." Simon chuckled under his breath as he read the note over my shoulder.

"Hey, I found your nose. It was in my business." I replied crossly. "And why would Jace be upset about this?"

He laughed out loud and received a very harsh glare from Coach Hunt. "He gives you all of his attention. Come on, Clary. You're not that dumb." he whispered after Coach Hunt turned back around.

"I don't see what the big deal is… We're not even dating. He just met me like a week ago."

"Yeah, well, I've literally never seen him look at another girl in the past five years like he looks at you." Simon said softly and leaned back.

I glanced back up at Coach Hunt and caught Sebastian's eyes. His dark eyes gleamed in the fluorescent lights, and he winked at me with a smirk. Simon was right… Jace was not going to like this at all.


	10. Strung Out Emotions

**So this chapter really jumps around a lot. It's not awfully eventful. Sorry ): It's mainly a filler with a little drama. I'm just trying not to rush into the plot and climax. I hate stories like that. But it will get more mysterious soon, and more secrets and stuff will come out. Review please! Thanks for all the support! (:**

* * *

"And so now I have to see the new Amazing Spiderman movie!" Simon exclaimed, finishing off a long story that I only paid half of my attention to.

"Then why don't you go to the movies with Maia again? She's into all that, isn't she?" I suggested while pulling my bag full of clothes out of my locker and replacing it with books from my classes that day.

"Because she started dating someone." He leaned against the lockers and stared at me through his wire-rimmed glasses. "I'm not going alone, and we haven't really hung out since you moved here." he said, making a play on the sympathy card. I fought back the childish urge to point out that it was his fault.

"God, fine!" I groaned as I slammed my locker shut. "Let's go before Jace leaves us." I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed toward the school's exit for the student parking lot.

"Speaking of Jace, what's going on with you two?" Simon asked following behind me quickly. He caught up easily and walked leisurely by my side.

"What do you mean?" Glancing over at him, I met his eyes. We were outside, but Jace's parking spot was across the lot.

"You two haven't really talked much this week. Are you already fighting?"

I laughed and began the walk to where Jace had parked his mom's car this morning. Since Alec, Isabelle, Simon, Jace, and I were all riding to the game together, Jace's car wouldn't fit us all. So he swapped with Maryse for the day and drove her Acadia with eight seats, and she took his car to work. She, Robert, and Max were all riding up to the game together after Robert and Maryse got off work.

"We're not fighting. He's been in heavy trainer mode all week. This game is important to him. If they win, it'll be the first state championship in school history." I shrugged. "It's super important to him—and his future. It doesn't bother me. I'm happy for him."

Simon nodded his head. "Oh, well that's reassuring."

We were seeing distance away from Jace's parking spot now, and I could see Jace, Isabelle, and Alec gathered together talking. From the way Jace's shoulders were set, it seemed more like an argument, though. Jace was gesturing wildly at Alec while Isabelle pointed her finger menacingly back at him, even getting in his face at one point.

When we approached the group, I realized the black haired boy that I had mistaken for Alec was actually Sebastian. Now the fight made far more sense. "You're letting Simon come, so Sebastian gets to come too!" Isabelle ordered gripping Sebastian's arm tightly. Sebastian grimaced before he saw me and Simon draw near them.

"Hey Clary!" he exclaimed with a huge grin.

Jace stopped bickering with Isabelle and glanced over at me. "Clary," he breathed and held out his hands. I rushed over to hug him. He kissed my forehead and played with my hair before turning back to Isabelle. "Whatever, he can come." Jace growled before taking my duffel bag from me and sliding it into the trunk of the Acadia.

He pulled me over to the other side of the car, away from the others, and pulled me into a swift kiss. "I'm so glad you made it out here. If I have to listen to Isabelle talk much longer, I'm going to die." He kissed me again deeply.

"Jace! Jace, come here!" Isabelle's shrill voice shrieked loudly. Jace groaned audibly and pulled me back over to his adopted sister.

Alec had arrived, and with him stood Magnus decked out in every color of the rainbow and covered in sparkles galore. Magnus nodded at mine and Jace's intertwined hands approvingly and grinned devilishly at me. "What now, Iz?" Jace asked, exasperated.

"Alec invited Magnus to come." Isabelle tattle-telled on Alec.

"I don't care. We need to leave." Jace sighed, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

"What? Why didn't you put up a fight with Alec?" Isabelle whined angrily.

Alec, obviously picking up on Jace's mood, put his hand out and said, "I'll drive, and Magnus will sit up front with me. You and Clary can sit in the back _alone_." Jace dropped the keys to the car into Alec's open hand and helped me into the far backseat of the car.

Isabelle muttered a string of complaints as she climbed into the middle seat between Simon and Sebastian in the middle row of the car. Alec and Magnus already situated themselves in the front, and all the doors were slammed shut as Alec backed out of the parking spot and exited the lot.

I leaned my head against Jace's shoulder as he rubbed small circles on my thumb. "Simon, you're taking up too much room. Move over." Isabelle complained loudly, breaking the momentary silence in the car. Jace and I sighed in unison.

Jace shot me a smirk as Simon replied, "Isabelle, I'm squished into the door. What more do you want?"

"For you to not be taking up any space." she snapped before leaning into the front of the car and messing with the radio.

This was going to be the longest two hours of my whole existence.

* * *

I sat on the curb waiting on the rest of the gang to exit the game. The game had ended fifteen minutes ago with a viciously tough loss on our end. It was so close that it was heartbreaking, even for someone without a single athletic bone in her body; we lost by just one point.

Somehow I knew Jace wouldn't want me waiting outside the locker room, and that's why I was here, waiting on everyone else to get back from camping outside the visitors' locker room in an attempt to cheer Jace up. I didn't know Jace that well yet, but I knew that it would just set him off.

"Clary?" A voice called out my name from the darkness. Trying to locate the person to the voice, I glanced around. Sebastian appeared out of the shadows. His dark hair curled lithely by his temples and his dark eyes searched my face. He sauntered over to me and sat down beside me on the curb.

I shivered from not just the strange, new chilly air, but from a peculiar fear that came with being alone with Sebastian. "Where is everybody?" I asked as I tried to scoot away without him noticing me. Despite my effort, his eyes still shot down to my body as it moved slowly.

"Attempting to console Jace. He's pretty pissed, especially when everyone came down on him the way they did. He seemed to be looking for you though." he answered, removing the space between us again.

My nose felt frozen, and I rubbed my hands across my face to get blood to flow into my cheeks. "I figured I'd wait here for him. He doesn't seem like the type to enjoy being babied."

"Well you were right about that. He yelled at Isabelle and Alec. Simon and Magnus didn't try to comfort Jace, though, so he just ignored them. He ripped up all the signs you and Isabelle made. How can you stand that?"

The question caught me off guard, and I stared at him in surprise. "Stand what?"

"His anger. He just explodes a lot. He can't control himself. What if he lashed out and hurt you?" Sebastian grabbed my face in his strikingly cold hands. I struggled to get out of his vice-like grip. He finally released his hands, and I pulled away from him quickly, not caring if he noticed this time.

"I can stand it because I'm the same way, Sebastian. He had to hide in his house while some maniac killed _both _of his parents. He heard them scream in anguish and had to live with the memories of his fear of dying with them. He has the right to lose himself in his emotions sometimes. At least he still _has_ emotions." I snapped angrily. I wasn't sure why I was angry at Sebastian. Maybe because both of his parents were probably alive and safe at home with no fear of a crazed killer coming after them. Maybe because I had moments when I lost myself in the fury and despair. Sebastian just didn't understand. "You just don't know what it's like." I whispered, turning away from him and wiping furiously at the tears forming in my eyes.

"My mom left me." he whispered in the silence that followed.

My head snapped back to stare at him on its own accord. "At least you can get your mom back. You could look for her and possibly find her. Jace and I can't do that."

"We can't do what?" Jace's voice clawed its way into the conversation before I could even see his face. He had changed out of his football uniform and was now wearing sweat pants and a light t-shirt. His blonde hair was matted to his face and was dramatically messy from wearing his helmet. His football bag was slung carelessly across his shoulders.

"Uh, I—we, um, I—" I scrambled for words as I stared back into his amber eyes.

"You two can't come to the bonfire I'm planning on having tomorrow night." Sebastian covered for me, smoothly telling a lie.

"Why can't we?" Jace's eyebrows creased together in confusion.

"Uh, I wanted to order Chinese and watch a movie together." I followed up Sebastian's lie quickly and smiled at Jace.

"Oh, well, okay then." He smiled back at me softly. "But I'm ready to leave this hellhole, so let's go home." He reached forward and grabbed my hand, pulling me up from the curb and led me into the car and away from Sebastian.

* * *

"Everyone, wake your lazy asses up! Breakfast is ready!" Izzy's loud voice reverberated through the living room. Groans ensued as four males complained loudly about it being too early.

I rolled over, feeling Jace's warm arms encircling me protectively. My emerald eyes met his liquid golden eyes, and I smiled almost shyly. I still hadn't gotten used to falling asleep and waking up with a guy yet, especially one that made your heart stop when you looked at him. He tightened his grip around me and pulled me closer to him. His lips brushed my forehead and then both of my cheeks before he lightly kissed me on the tip of my nose. "Good morning, sunshine." he whispered.

"Good morning." I mumbled back before Isabelle swatted Jace on the head with a wooden spoon.

"Didn't you hear me? Breakfast is ready." She narrowed her eyes and pointed at us threateningly with her spoon. I would imagine her using it again swiftly without a second thought.

"Did you cook it?" Jace asked as he rubbed the spot that Isabelle's spoon had met his head.

"No," she sighed loudly, "Mom did. I just grabbed the spoon as a reinforcement."

"Okay, I'll eat then." He smirked and helped me up from our spot on the ground. The living room floor was covered in pillows and blankets where everyone ended up spending the night. Even Sebastian had been allowed to sleep over. Isabelle had to beg not only Jace but Alec and her mom as well. Maryse didn't really seem to mind the company, but she seemed almost on edge around Simon, Sebastian, and myself.

When Jace and I entered the dining room, everyone had picked out seats already. Maryse took the head of the table with Isabelle and Alec on both sides. Apparently Sebastian had won out sitting beside Isabelle, so Simon slumped grumpily beside Sebastian. Magnus, of course, sat beside Alec with a heartwarming smile and glitter still adorning his slick black hair.

"Clary! Jace! Sit by me!" Max, the youngest Lightwood, seemed to remember me in a way that no other person had ever remembered me before. He patted the seat next to him which happened to be right next to Simon. I grinned back at him and took the seat he expected me to be in. Jace followed behind me and took the other seat beside Max without a complaint.

Plates full of various breakfast foods decorated the whole table. I filled my plate full of food and started eating in silence. The whole room was quiet except for the noises of spoons and forks meeting the glass plates. "So, Sebastian, where did you move from?" Maryse asked Sebastian, drawing the whole table's attention.

"New York," he replied after swallowing a bite of eggs. I couldn't help the automatic suspicion. How is it that not even a week after I moved here so did this strange boy? I tried to tell myself that I was just being silly and still thinking of the break in just five days before, but I couldn't help the raging amount of wariness around Sebastian.

"That's weird. Clary moved from there too." Magnus replied because everyone else was silent.

Sebastian raised his eyes to me and smiled wickedly. "Yeah, I know. I wish I would've met her sooner."

In my peripheral vision, I could see Jace tense up. Before Jace could throw his fork and impale Sebastian's eye or say something rude or obscene, Max spoke up. "I don't like the way you look at Clary."

Sebastian's eyes hardened as Jace laughed loudly and patted Max adoringly on the back. Maryse seemed too shocked to berate Max's behavior, and Sebastian responded before anyone else could say anything. "In what way is that?"

"Like you own her or something. So stop." Max answered before picking up his plate and leaving the dining room. Sebastian growled so lowly that I was almost unsure if it actually came from him. His eyes were darker than usual, if that was possible, and he gripped his fork so tightly that his knuckles were white.

The remainder of breakfast was eaten in silence, and when everyone cleared out of the dining room, Maryse insisted that we all go out somewhere else and let her attend to the dishes herself. We all parted ways in the Lightwood house; Simon left with a quiet goodbye to me and a long, parting glance at Isabelle who was extra cozy with Sebastian.

Magnus helped Alec pick up all the pillows and blankets from the floor, and the two of them disappeared quickly. Jace, deciding that he couldn't stay in the same room as Sebastian, pulled me upstairs to his room.

We lied on his bed together in silence for a couple minutes, our quiet breathing the only sound in the room. Then Jace turned and looked at me. "What were you and Sebastian _really_ talking about last night?" he asked softly.

"What are you talking about?" I was shocked. I thought he had bought my poorly told lie. Sebastian's smooth exterior seemed to cover most of my inexperience at lying on the spot.

"You're an awful liar, Clary."

I bit my lip, trying to figure out what to say. "Sebastian was criticizing you about how you let your anger get the best of you sometimes. He asked me how I could stand it." I decided to tell the truth. It's not like Jace could get mad at me about what Sebastian was saying.

"And what did you say?" he said harshly sitting up and moving away from me. I bit back the odd feeling that it gave me. Although we were sitting in the same bed only inches away from each other, it seemed like we were suddenly miles away from each other. I could almost feel the wall Jace had built up over the years, the wall I hadn't had to deal with yet except for on my first day in Florida.

"I told him that I could stand it because I was the same way. I have trouble controlling my emotions too." I gritted my teeth when I answered. Somehow I knew something big was about to happen. The tension is the air was so tangible that it felt like I was choking on it.

"You don't think I can control my emotions?" he snapped jumping off the bed in anger.

"Well you're not really controlling them right now!" I got out of his bed too. "And I said I couldn't either, so you can't act like I was insulting you. We both went through traumatic things because of the murder of your parents and my mother."

"Don't even try to compare your little so-called painful experience to mine. You didn't have to hide in your house while your parents were both killed, tortured even. I stayed in the same spot my mom put me in for four days without even moving from a standing position. I don't even remember sleeping. You think you know pain? Try going through that. You're lucky that you only found her dead." His voice was cold and calculated. He watched my face for my reaction with the eerie hardness of a predator watching its prey.

Trying not to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry, I bit my cheek so hard I tasted blood. "Wow," I whispered, voice shaking. "Is this what you've thought the whole time? That I didn't really lose my mom? I thought maybe you were the one person who understood. But obviously you didn't even care. I didn't suffer enough for it to be considered a painful experience, huh? That's a new low, especially from you. Screw you Jace." I turned away from him, burst out of his room, and stomped down the stairs. I am _not _going to cry in his house.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Sebastian asked as I rushed by him towards the front door. "Clary?" I distantly heard him call from behind me. I closed my hand around the doorknob of the door and swung it open. I could hear Jace stomping down the stairs after me, but I slammed the door behind me and ran across the Lightwood's yard, the street between our houses, and up my driveway.

As I climbed up the stairs and shut and locked the door to my room, I let out the pent up scream I'd been holding back for months. It was strangled and as soon as I let it out, I was bawling my eyes out. I fell onto my bed and sobbed from the despair and the anger. The words Jace had spat out so calmly and bitingly echoed in my head. _You're lucky that you only found her dead._

But that was the thing. It wasn't true. I saw my mom's murderer. Not clearly, of course, but I saw him. We even locked eyes when I stepped into my house only minutes before my dad did. He was hunched over my mom's already dead body, whispering something to her almost lovingly. When he saw me, he seemed almost delighted. The mask he was wearing covered everything except for those dark eyes.

He stood up and moved toward me almost unconsciously. That's when I screamed and alerted my dad. The man reached for me and ran a bloody hand through my hair before turning and running out through the back of the house. I didn't tell the cops this, though. It wouldn't have helped for them to know that anyways. Dad didn't even know. I carried that secret with me, trying to understand what it meant, but I always came up with nothing.

Maybe I didn't hear my mom scream her last words, but I did see the man who killed her caress her cold cheeks softly and kiss her forehead with what seemed like an almost tender gesture. I felt his blood-slicked hands on my face and in my hair, and I had never gotten rid of that feeling since.

Jace didn't know anything. No one knew anything. I had to fight this inward battle alone with the slight hope that I didn't come out of it too deranged. Maybe it was too late for me now.


	11. Together

**Hey guys! I'm not here to bother you with pathetic excuses. My updating will get better, and I'm gonna make an updating schedule eventually so it'll be fixed. What I really want to say is (it's two things) thanks for staying with me and supporting me. Every review is deeply appreciated. The other thing, which seems to be more focused on my other story, is if you have any questions or anything, don't be afraid to ask! Ask it in a review or PM, I don't care. If you really want an answer just tell me and I'll answer it. But if it contains spoilers or anything of the sort, I won't be able to post it on the next chapter, so make sure to have an account that I can PM the answer to!**

* * *

Fifty-two text messages, thirty missed calls, fifteen voice mails, four breakdowns, and one night later, I sat on the floor of my art room watching the sun rise. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't paint. I couldn't even concentrate. Oranges, reds, and yellows filtered into the room and colored the hardwood floor. Although I hadn't slept in almost twenty-for hours, I'm not tired. I closed my eyes, and Jace's face appears behind my eyelids, his face contorted and angry as he spat the words that continued to repeat in my head.

Another ding from my phone, and my eyes snapped open. That makes fifty-three text messages. Apparently Jace couldn't sleep either. I bit back a pained whimper and clicked the home button on my iPhone. I couldn't face him right now. All his texts went unanswered, unread. In all honesty, I couldn't even think of something to say to him. What was there to say?

Luckily, I had the blessing of Thanksgiving Break, so I won't have to put in any extra effort to avoid Jace. As the thought crossed my mind, another thought quickly diminished any good feelings about Thanksgiving. This would be mine and Dad's first Thanksgiving without my mom's bright and sparkling presence.

I mean, Mom couldn't cook a turkey—or any holiday food for that matter. The mere idea that she could would be laughable in another time, another world. We always had to buy all the Thanksgiving food because Dad couldn't cook either. Even if the food wasn't home cooked, our holidays were the best. Mom and Dad would both take off work—for Mom that just meant pushing back calls—and we'd spend all of our time with each other. Holidays were sacred in my family. Just the idea that Thanksgiving—or any future holiday—could be fun was ridiculous. Without Mom nothing would be the same.

I could feel myself drifting off to that faraway place where despairing thoughts twisted and mutilated themselves into nightmares, but I couldn't drag myself away from it no matter how hard I tried. My body shook as a dark shiver rippled through me. I was losing what little I had left of myself, and there was nothing I could do to get _me _back. Somehow I knew that Mom would be upset at me by how I was recovering. She'd be mad that I was wallowing in self-pity. She'd be hurt that I had put my life on hold. But none of those things could drag me out of the depressingly dark pit I was in now.

I pulled my legs up to my chin and rested my head on top of my knees. The sun was making its way slowly into the sky. Birds tweeted loudly and flew by my window quickly, alerting me to the fact that another day was soon to begin. I continued to watch animals wake up and start their day. A squirrel darted up and down the trunk of a tree continuously, unaware of the broken red-haired girl watching it intently. I was so concentrated on watching the animals in my backyard that when someone joined me on the floor, it startled me.

I turned my head and studied Simon. He mirrored my body position, legs pulled up, staring out the giant, floor-to-ceiling window. His lips quirked up softly at the corner when he noticed me watching him. He breathed slowly, his chest moving up and down rhythmically. His glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, and when he turned to meet my eyes, they fell down slightly.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" he asked before looking back out the window.

"No," I huffed. Something was wrong. Simon rarely got up before noon when he didn't need to be, especially on the weekends when his mom would leave him alone. "What are you doing here?"

"Your dad let me in." His answer was immediate. He knew where my thoughts were; he could read me like a book.

"No, I mean _why_ are you here?" I scrutinized him, watching the almost unnoticeable twitch of his right eye.

"You don't want me here?"

"Stop avoiding the question, Si. Did Isabelle send you over?" I sighed, pushing myself up from the floor and staring down at him harshly.

He mimicked my actions and rose from the ground to look down at me. "No." He looked like he wanted to say more, but he waited for my answer.

"Well then, who did?" I snapped. I wasn't in the mood for these little mind games.

Simon winced slightly at my tone, but shrugged it off and grabbed my shoulder. "Look, if the situation was different, I'd still be in bed giving you the space you want when you're sulking… but Jace was blowing up my phone, and I—"

"Don't even bother finishing your excuse. I don't want anything to do with him right now, and I could care less what he has to say." I interrupted him callously. I couldn't believe that Simon was actually here to do something for Jace. "Why would you do him the favor, anyways? You don't even like him. Isn't this a good thing?" I held my arms out, not really knowing what I was gesturing to.

"I don't really like him, but he made you a little happier, didn't he? Jace is stupid, don't get me wrong. That's not the point of this, but he really didn't mean to say what he did. If he didn't care about you, he wouldn't have came begging to _me_. Clary, he didn't call me or text me. Well he did call and text me a lot, but then he came over to my house to beg me to come talk to you for him. At least let him apologize to your face. That's all he really wants right now. He knows you're pissed at him—you have every right to be. He just wants to say sorry." Simon rushed the words out, some syllables blending together as he spoke.

I blew air into my cheeks and almost growled. "Fine, whatever. He can come apologize, but I'm going to scream at him… a lot." I said, defeated. I wasn't even really mad anymore, just really destroyed. My emotions felt like they had been thrown in a washing machine and hung out on a clothesline, still dripping wet and sullen.

"I wouldn't expect you to do anything else." Simon grinned, pulling me into a hug. "Don't you think you should try to sleep some?" he mumbled into my hair and led me down the stairs to my bed.

"Not really." I grumbled as he pushed me into my unmade bed.

"Too bad. Jace will be here soon to apologize, and you've gotta have enough energy to yell at him. Night night!" Simon tucked me in and patted my head all too eagerly.

"Get out of my house, Simon." I frowned as he fluffed my pillows.

"Fine!" he teased and waved at me as he practically skipped out of the door.

* * *

A hand ghosted over my face. I could feel the cool air brush against my cheek as the person's fingers moved lightly around my face, so close to touching me but not. I wanted to open my eyes and see who was in my room, but my exhaustion was so overbearing that I couldn't even roll over.

I could feel the pads of someone's thumbs rub my cheek, and someone's lips pressed hard against my forehead. I fought to open my eyes, but I was still stuck in that in between place where you were only barely conscious. Fingers ran through my hair, catching on the curls and tangles, but the person continued to run a hand through my hair until my tresses didn't catch the hand any more.

I stirred, and I really focused on opening my eyes, but before I could catch a glance at the person crouching next to my bed, darkness enfolded me once again, but not before an unfamiliar voice whispered, "You'll be mine soon, Clary. This game will be over in no time." I could feel the body stand up, brush a hand across my cheek, and leave my bedside.

* * *

"Clary, wake up." I jumped, frightened. I pulled the covers around my body, and my head snapped back and forth to find the originator of the voice. Jace perched beside me with an uncomfortable look on his face, remaining a good distance away from my body. The memories of the voice and hands from before gripped my nerves, sending my heart into overdrive.

"Is there anyone else with you?" I asked, glancing around my room again. Everything looked normal. It was the same old cluttered bedroom with the same old half crumpled sketches and mixture of dirty and clean clothes scattered across the floor. Nothing seemed different, yet I felt like something had changed.

"No, I came alone. Why? Was someone else here?" Jace looked around the room, a crease appearing between his eyebrows. He still managed to act protective, even when he knew I was furious with him.

"I just thought—I guess it was just a nightmare. How long have you been here?" I muttered, touching my face and hair as if they held the mysteries of the world.

"Like two seconds. You know it's like five o' clock, right?" he asked gently, noticing my flitting emotions as they passed across my face. The nightmare seemed so real, so physical. It gave me chills just thinking about it. I knew my mind was probably just in a mode that processed everything that had been happening recently and connected it immediately to my mom's murder. I knew that the murder was still missing something; the job seemed unfinished. My subconscious grasped onto that and now Mom's murderer was even creeping his ways into my dreams.

"I didn't sleep last night." I said distractedly, my voice a million miles from my body.

Jace shifted slightly closer to me, but I didn't have the strength to push him away. Gingerly, he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his warm arms. "Shh, don't cry. I'm so sorry. I'm a god awful person. The angel should've struck me down. I'm sorry. Please stop crying." Jace whispered frantically, repeating 'don't cry,' over and over again.

I rubbed a palm across my face. I wasn't crying, but surprisingly, moisture coated my hand and soon enough I was bawling, my body racking with each sob. Jace gripped me tighter, whispering something in my hair so softly, I couldn't hear his voice; I could only feel the tickle of his breath on my scalp. I didn't understand why I was crying. It wasn't because of Jace. I had cried all that out the night before. The nightmare must've taken more out of me than I realized.

"I'm not"—I took a deep, shuddering breath, my body trembling from the vast amount of effort it took to calm myself—"I'm not crying because of you. I had a n-nightmare." My voice caught on the last word. My mind reeled at the reminder of the dream person's strange and eerie caresses.

"What?" Jace paused. His body stilled, stopping the comforting rocking motion he was doing before. "What nightmare?"

Before I could think about it, I began rambling immediately, finding solace in the boy who frustrated me and consoled me all at the same time. I didn't understand why I felt so deeply connected to Jace already; he was just a good looking boy who happened to have a past similar to mine, a boy who picked out my emotions so quickly and understood them so easily. "Some person was petting me and kissed my forehead. I couldn't open my eyes to see who it was, and he or she was running hands through my hair, and when I could finally open my eyes, I couldn't see anything or anyone. Then I heard a whisper that said 'You'll be mine soon, Clary. This game will be over in no time,' in a voice I've never heard in my life. It was all so real, and I can remember every single feeling and touch from it. I'm so scared, Jace. I don't know what to do or think anymore, and it's destroying any bit of sanity I have left."

Jace started rocking me again halfway through my blathering, murmuring soft words and brushing smooth fingers across my wrists, avoiding my face and hair in a gesture to not freak me out any more than I was. "It was just a nightmare, Clary. Whoever is after you won't get through me and your dad. There's no way he'd even get the opportunity to breath the same air as you. I'd kill anyone who'd try to hurt you." His words were soft, but I could feel the hard tension that ran through them.

I felt the words to counter him. _This guy is crazy. He'll kill you both to get to me. He doesn't care how many people he takes down—as long as the job gets down._ More and more contradictions filled my head, but I couldn't say them. Jace wanted me to believe him. I could feel it in his touches, his breaths, and his words. "I know," I breathed in reply, fighting the new wave of tears that came with the lie I so shrewdly fed to Jace.

"So you're not mad at me anymore?" Jace shifted our bodies so that we were leaning against the wall my bed was pushed against.

"Hold on now. I never said that. I said I forgave you. I'm still incredibly pissed at you." I teased, tapping him lightly on the nose.

He frowned. "So I guess it'd be a bad time to ask for a favor then, huh?" he asked as his body went rigid with tension. I could feel his heart thump unevenly in his chest.

I pulled away from him, wiped my eyes, and stared at him apprehensively. I'd never seen Jace this awkward before, and, even if it had only been two weeks since I've known him, the only thing he _ever_ exuded was confidence. "What is it? What's wrong?"

He smiled softly, reaching a finger out to smooth the wrinkles in my forehead. "Nothing is wrong. I just wanted you to do something with me."

I chewed on my bottom lip as his fingers trailed down to my cheeks, past my nose, and finally to my lips. His soft brush caused me to release my lip from its hold. "So what's the catch, then? It doesn't seem all too pleasant by how you're acting."

"No, it's just—Clary, I've never asked anyone to do this for me, ever. I don't know how to ask."

"Just ask, Jace. I can handle whatever it is." I sighed, waiting for something terrible.

He rolled his eyes, regaining some of his usual attitude. "Okay, well it's like about three weeks away, so you have plenty of time to make a decision… I was wondering if you'd come to the cemetery with me when I go visit my parents…?" I felt stunned; this was not what I was expecting at all. My expression must've freaked him out because then he began to ramble. "I always go visit them on the day _it _happened, but I've never wanted anyone to come with me. I just—it just would be so much better if you came with me, and I wouldn't have asked if it wasn't so—"

I cut him off with a swift kiss on his lips. "What day?"

That's all it took for a breathtaking smile to envelop his face. "It's December 15th. I guess it's almost four weeks away, but I wanted to give you time to think about it."

"Of course I'll go with you. But are you sure you want _me_ to come with you? You barely know me… Wouldn't you want family with you or something? I touched his wrist softly, and he gripped my fingers immediately.

"I'm positive. I need you there. I love Alec and Isabelle to death, but they have no clue what it's like. They don't understand it like you do." Then with an embarrassed glance away from me, he whispered, "Plus, you're the only person I'd let see me the way I'll be that day."

The words warmed me in their own sad and heartbreaking way. I didn't understand how one minute Jace was a ferocious lion, prowling around with his wits and sarcasm, and in the next minute he was this sensitive boy who could be crushed with the harshest words. "Well I'll be there, but if you change your mind, don't hesitate to tell me. I don't want to make that day any more unpleasant than necessary."

His smile was desolate. "You'll make it better. That's why I need you with me."

"Then I'll be there, right by your side." I mumbled.

He nuzzled his face in my neck. A growl of pleasure escaped his lips and made me tremble with the fire it started on the skin of my neck. I sighed softly.

"Jace?" I said after a couple beats of silence.

At first I thought he had fallen asleep, but then a soft "Hm?" rumbled through Jace's body.

"I'm not mad at you anymore." My voice was soft and child-like, but when Jace gripped my body tighter and tilted his head to graze my jaw line with his lips, I couldn't be bothered with feeling silly. All I could think of was Jace and his hands on my stomach and his lips on my neck and his body next to mine.

Jace and I were here, together. We were a mess—a tornado of emotions, fears, and secrets. But, we would make it, and we'd figure out ourselves out. We were working on whatever we were day by day, sifting through the broken rubble, and somehow, we were able to keep each other standing. We'd get better slowly, but surely. Our broken experiences and pained hearts melding together to fix the pieces left. We were here, and we were going to make it together.


	12. What I Needed To Do

**Uh, hi guys... PLEASE put down your knives and pitchforks. I am so so so so so so so SO sorry for the unannounced, prolonged hiatus I took on this story. I could tell you everything that caused me to neglect this story, but that would take a while, so here's the short version. Writer's block + stress + soccer + yearbook + school + AP calculus + HOSA competition + Student of the Month/Year + Be My Poison + many more things that I probably didn't even realize that got in the way. Like I said, I'm sorry, and I know none of this makes up for it... especially since this is a very short chapter, but I assure you that this story WILL get back on track. I even have the next chapter already mostly written. It just needs to be edited, detailed, and fixed up. So please do me a favor and review, telling me you're still here and reading TLIAK. If I get a pretty decent response, I'll try to update the Thursday after I update BMP (or every other Thursday). So thanks for being awesome and putting up with me. I really appreciate all you guys!**

* * *

It was the day before Thanksgiving, and I had barely seen my father. He seemed to be everywhere except home. I was sitting on the couch in the living room, curled up with a bowl of popcorn when Dad and Hodge walked into the living room in the middle of a full out discussion. As Hodge caught my eye, he hacked out an obviously fake cough, and my dad immediately stopped talking and met my eyes.

"Hey, sweetie. I need to talk to you about something." Dad said as he glided over to me.

"Okay, shoot." I replied, adjusting my body, so he could sit next to me.

He joined me on the couch and rested his hand on my knee. "I've been thinking, and I came to the conclusion that maybe we should skip out on Thanksgiving this year. We're not prepared for it, and it'll just be _different_ without your mom. Is this all right with you?"

"Yeah, Dad. I was worried about it anyways." I shrugged and picked up the bowl of popcorn as I got off the couch.

"One more thing… I've noticed that you and that boy have seemed to get awfully close. I think maybe you should be a little more careful with him." he said softly.

I turned around and stared at him. His brown eyes were full of concern, but I couldn't be bothered with his concern. "Jace and I are friends. I'm sorry if that bothers you." I muttered before leaving the living room. As I went up the stairs, I could still hear Hodge and Dad talking, and in that moment, I didn't like Hodge _at all_. Why was Dad talking to this man more than his own daughter all of the sudden? What was so great about Hodge? Hodge never talked to me… I knew I was thinking like a spoiled brat, but I had become so frustrated with life in Florida that I couldn't help it.

When I got to my room, I shut the door so I wouldn't have to hear them talking. It had been a long time since I'd been thoroughly annoyed with my dad, and I couldn't help but feel a little betrayed by him. I felt no safer in Florida than I did in New York. He was never home to protect me, and all I had now was Jace's word and a constant worry and fear.

The doorbell rang, but I didn't bother to answer it. If it was for me, which it probably was, Dad would send whomever it is to my room. Moments later the door opened, and Jace stood in the doorway looking like a god in more than one way. His golden hair was tousled, and he was dressed like he was headed somewhere warm.

"Get changed. I'm taking you out on a date." he smirked at me easily.

"A date?" I asked in surprise, but I still stood up and went to my closet.

"Yeah, I've yet to show you my truly charming side, so I felt like it was time to reveal it to you…" He looked away from me as I stripped in my closet quickly and changed into similar clothes as his. "But I've got to warn you… once I take you out on this date, you won't ever let me go."

I scoffed but smiled affectionately at him. Before I knew it, we were speeding down a highway laughing at the adrenaline that came with the wind flying through the windows. Jace had one hand on the wheel and the other reached across the car, his fingers entangled in my hair. Jace guided the car into the turning late and turned his head to look at me as we waited for the light to turn green.

"Where are we going?" I asked as cars passed. I hadn't been to this part of the town before, so I couldn't figure out where Jace was taking me.

"Well there's this little coffee shop and—" I was watching the road as he talked, my eyes training on a completely black car speeding towards us on the opposite side of the highway. It wasn't an out of the ordinary car, but the way it continued to shift closer and closer in the lanes unnerved me. Soon it was in the turning lane on the other side, but it didn't stop. Instead, it sped up.

"Jace!" I yelped when the car was twenty feet away.

Jace seemed just as surprised at the car's actions, and he quickly put the car in reverse. He backed up quickly before the car slammed into the front of Jace's car. I screamed and ducked my head, barely seeing that the car in front of us had backed up and was speeding towards us again.

"Clary, keep your head down, and don't look up!" Jace ordered me. I could hear the tension in his voice, and my fear mounted. My pulse quickened as I felt the car jerk back more before it stopped and headed forward again. I could hear the car shifting gears to keep up with how fast the car was going. I lifted my head up just in time to watch the black car slam into my side of the car. "I told you to keep your head down!"

Ignoring Jace's protests, I looked around with quick eyes, noticing that the black car's windows were darkly tinted, and I couldn't even make out an outline of the driver. Panic encased my chest as I realized who this person is. "It's him." I breathed out as Jace stomped on the brakes, the black car continuing past before also stopping.

"It's who?!" Jace gasped when he saw the car whip around and drive straight towards us again.

"My mom's murderer. Drive!" I screamed before flying back into the seat when Jace slammed on the gas, matching the speed of the black car. "What are you doing?" I watched as we inched closer to the black car. Fear and panic seized me, and I knew I was going to pass out.

In the last second, Jace turned the wheel quickly, zooming past the other car. Jace continued down the highway at top speed. I could hear pieces of his car scraping the concrete roughly, but Jace didn't seem to care much.

Thirty minutes later, he finally stopped at a beach. He parked the car unevenly, jumping out of his seat in seconds. He slammed the door behind him without a word. Unsteadily I pulled myself out of his car and watched Jace pace with his hands held behind his neck.

"What the hell was that?" he yelled at me as I continued to watch him pace from the other side of the car.

"I don't know. Someone who wants me dead!" I replied bitingly when he turned on me with fire in his eyes.

"Why? What did you _do_?"

"Oh, so suddenly it's my fault that a psycho is after me and decided to run us off the road. That's great. You're right. One day I decided, hey, why not hire a hit man for _myself!_ How did you guess?!" I screamed at him over the car.

He raised his hands in the air and slammed them down on the hood of his now damaged car. It would need some serious reconstruction to get fixed up, but that seemed to just fuel his rage more. "You whine so much, Clary! Boo hoo, your mom died. Well so did mine, and you don't see me getting all pissy because she's gone." He kicked the side of his car, a metallic crunching echoed throughout the empty parking lot.

I had expected him to snap at me the way he did, so calmly I placed my hands on his car and stared at him. "Just because you don't show your pain, doesn't mean I have to hide mine. It's not my fault that my mom's killer is after me. If I could change that, trust me when I say I would." My voice never wavered as I spat the words out at him.

He held my gaze steadily for what seemed like forever before finally saying, "I'm going to call Alec to pick us up. There's no way in hell that I'm driving this car again."

* * *

Alec seemed to be in more shock about the car than Jace and I was. He pulled his mom's car next to Jace's and stared out of the driver window for a long time, his eyes flickering between Jace and me and the car. "What—"

"Don't ask. Just bring us home." Jace snapped walking quickly to the passenger side. He got in without looking at me and slammed the door loudly.

Alec's eyes rested on me, and for a moment, I could see the sympathy that was laced through his eyes. I slid in the back quietly and stared down at my feet. "Tell me what happened." Alec demanded as he pulled out of the parking lot. Jace's eyes landed on Alec and opened his mouth to reply, but Alec interrupted him immediately. "You're going to have to tell the story multiple times anyways. You better get used to it."

Jace frowned at him and replied evenly. "The psycho who killed Clary's mom tried to run us off the road. End of story."

Alec rolled his eyes at Jace. "You would think that since you were involved, you'd be a bit more sensitive involving the subject."

"Why do you care?!" Jace growled in frustration.

"Maybe because the guy who is practically my brother and his girlfriend were almost killed a little while ago, and you're treating it like it's a goddamn joke!" Alec spat back at him. "And you're acting like it was Clary's fault. I can tell. What did you say to her?"

"Are you _defending_ her?" Jace asked in surprise while I stared open-mouthed at Alec. Iwas just as surprised as Jace.

"What do I even need to defend her for?"

"It's her fault!" Jace exclaimed before punching the dashboard.

"Oh, you're so right. She was actually the one behind the steering wheel of the other car." Alec scoffed at Jace with a glower on his face. "Grow up."

Jace whipped around to stare at me, and he said, "What did you say to him?"

"I—" I began to say in fear. Why was I being dragged into this? Wasn't I being blamed for enough?

"Are you serious, Jace? When would've she had the chance to say anything to me. How are you going to treat her like this?" Alec said in exasperation.

I watched cars speed by in the silence that followed. The day had been rough, just like the past week, just like the past year. I was so over caring and trying to defend myself. It was pointless. Jace continued to lash out at me for things that I couldn't control, and I was prepared to just snap back at him in any moment.

"I'm sorry Jace is acting like this, Clary. He's a jerk." Alec finally said as he pulled into our neighborhood.

"Yeah, I'm used to it. Whatever." I muttered as he pulled into my driveway. "Thanks for dropping me off." I jumped out of the car, ignoring Jace as I walked up the path to the front door.

When I got inside, I began to climb the stairs, but then I thought twice of it and headed towards the safe room. I wanted to be completely alone right now, and I knew if I just went to my room, someone would interrupt what little peace I might be able to achieve. In seconds I was in the room with the multiple monitors, and I watched the screens as they flickered from one room to the next. It only took a couple of minutes for me to realize that Dad wasn't home.

Of course he wasn't.

I headed up the stairs to the upper part of the safe room. I glanced around, looking for something that I couldn't quite put my finger on. I sat on the small bed and opened one of the drawers next to it. Food with expiration dates years from now stared at me. I closed the drawer and opened the next one. It took a little more effort to get it to budge, and when I yanked it open, a large book smacked against my hand.

I pulled it out and stared at it. It looked like a picture book, and when I opened it, I realized that it _was _a picture book, filled with loads of pictures of my mom and dad from late high school and college. I flipped through pages, smiling at the pictures with my mom mid-laugh or covered in paint. It was strange seeing her captured in a lifetime before my own. I continued to flip through the pages, tearing up as I saw pictures of mom and dad together in most of them.

Idly, I wondered why Dad had this hiding in the safe room. Why hadn't I seen these pictures before? Once, I got to the end of the book, I reached into the drawer again. My fingertips brushed the top of another book. Pulling it out, I flipped it open and began to scan the pictures again. There were pictures of other people this time.

In one group picture, a man with wispy, white-blonde hair held an arm around my mom, who was holding her belly that extended outwards, and Dad stood next to her. A man and a woman held hands and smiled angelically at the camera. With golden blond hair and beautiful features, they seemed devastatingly familiar. The last pair was a couple who was more than devastatingly familiar. I realized with horror that I _knew_ the carbon-copies of the man and woman smiling at the camera.

When I pulled the picture out of the book and flipped it over, my fears became true. The names Maryse and Robert Lightwood and Stephen and Celine Herondale seemed to smack me in the face. My mom's beautifully scrawled handwriting seemed to mock me. I dropped the book in surprise, and, pulling out my phone, I knew what I needed to do.


	13. Who Is Valentine?

**Wow, guys, way to totally make me feel bad for abandoning this story for a while... I am BLOWN AWAY by the response from last chapter. You guys almost brought me to tears, so thanks. Like, seriously, thank you so much for the reviews. I really don't deserve the support you are giving me, but I will greedily take all the reviews, support, and moral support you want to give me. Also, I've decided I'm alternating updates with my stories, so all the people who also read BMP, don't fear, I am updating next week. I'm really hoping chapter 20 is a big and exciting one! But that being said, this means TLIAK will NOT be updated next week... so every other week TLIAK will be updated. That way I won't be pumping out crappy chapters. Sound good? Okay, moving on to the chapter... it's short I know. Shoot me now. But, hopefully I'll get to thick chapters soon. This chapter is like the turning point, so I feel like it'll be easier to write longer chapters now, since it's getting exciting and all. ;D Anyways, as always review and make my day! Love you guys!**

* * *

I fumbled with the picture and dropped it as I shakily sent out a mass text. I stared at the picture that I dropped on the floor. There was no way. No way at all. I picked it up and tried to figure out what I was missing. How could my parents—all of our parents—hide this from us? My eyes blurred as I read the quick messages that were sent back to me. I continued looking through the scrapbook, finding more and more pictures that surprised me.

Not even five minutes later the doorbell rang. I sprinted to the door after bringing all of my mom's old scrapbooks and journals out. I flung open the door to see Jace leaning against the doorframe looking particularly bored. Isabelle and Simon were bickering, and Alec had brought Magnus along with him. Alec was the first one to notice me at the door. He smiled softly. I could tell that he seemed to hate me less, but why he had a change of heart, I didn't know.

"Guys, come in. It's important." I rushed the words and swung the door open so everyone could walk in. "Follow me!" I had to restrain myself from sprinting to the living room.

"Clary, what's this all about? I have better things to do than share a room with _him_." Isabelle sneered, pushing past Simon and plopping down on one of the love seats. I stared at Simon quizzically, and he shook his head with a frown on his face.

When everyone found a seat somewhere in the living room, I picked up the picture. "Look at this." I shoved it in Isabelle's face.

"Hey those two kinda look like—" Isabelle instantly went still. "What is this?"

Jace snatched it out of her hand. He glared at it and then froze. He flipped the picture over and read all the names on the back. "Where did you find this?"

"In the safe room. Remember when that guy broke into my house a little while ago? Well when I got home after the accident, I decided to look around in there and found my mom's old stuff. She kept dozens of scrapbooks. There are thousands of pictures. I even found some journals. This picture was in the college scrapbook."

Alec grabbed the picture next, and he and Magnus gawked over it. Simon peered over their shoulders and frowned. "Is that Robert and Maryse?" Simon asked confused.

Alec flipped the picture over. "Jace, your parents…" he trailed off noticing Jace's grimace.

"Do you know what this means? Our parents went to college together. They _knew _each other. I already knew Simon's parents were close with mine, but all of them were friends." I spoke quickly, grabbing another photo.

"My parents aren't in this picture. They probably didn't know the rest of their parents." Simon tried to defend himself and his parents weakly.

"Look at this one, Jace." I glanced at it before he took it. It was a picture of me and him at ages four and five. My red hair was braided, and he was missing his front tooth.

His mouth dropped open in surprise. "W-what?"

"I know. You should see all this stuff. It's crazy." I muttered as I spread all the scrapbooks out on the table. Everyone slid from their seats and sat on the floor around the table.

"Who was that other guy in the picture? The one with his arm around your mom?" Isabelle asked, pointing to the man on the end. He was broad shouldered and had light blonde hair. His dark eyes were brooding. His arm was wrapped protectively around my mom's waist. My dad was on the other side of my mom with his arm hanging over her shoulder.

"It says his name is Valentine on the back… My parents have never talked about him before." I replied, flipping through a scrapbook. "Look here's another picture with him. My mom and he stood together. My mom's stomach poked out, almost as if she were pregnant. I gasped. "I think my mom got pregnant with me during college." I tried to count the years in my head.

"If your parents didn't mention any of our parents to you, why would they mention that guy?" Tossing the picture I handed him onto the table, Jace snapped.

I ignored his remark. "Why would our parents hide this from us?" I asked them.

Isabelle shook her head, Simon let his head fall in his hands, Alec chewed on his pinky, and Jace just glared past me.

"Hey, Clare Bear, want to go eat some Chinese—" My dad stepped into the living room and instantly went still when he spotted everything sitting out. "Where did you get all this?" he spluttered.

"The safe room. What is this? Why didn't you tell me that you knew the Lightwoods and the Herondales? And who is Valentine?" I stood up and handed him the picture of all of the parents and Valentine.

Dad's body slumped down in defeat. "I don't know if I should explain all this in front of all of you." He eyed each of us kids. "Maybe your parents should talk to you about it."

"My parents are dead." Jace spit harshly.

My dad sighed. "I know, Jace," He sat down heavily in the recliner and stared at his hands. "I'll tell you all everything. Just sit down and let me tell the whole story before you freak out or anything."

We all stood up and squished together on the couch. Magnus was on the very end next to Alec. Alec held both Magnus's and Isabelle's hands. Simon sat next to Isabelle with me next to him, and Jace slumped down next to me, looking extremely unhappy to even be near me.

My dad took a deep breath and began: "I went to high school with all of your parents and Jocelyn and Valentine. We were all really close, forming our own little clique of some sort. When we graduated, we had all applied to the same college and went to college together. Everything was great until junior year. We had all just turned twenty-one and were living it up. Then Jocelyn found out she was pregnant… with Valentine's baby,"

There was a collective gasp. My heart slowed and then pounded painfully. This didn't make any sense. Jace glanced over at me and surprisingly grabbed my hand. I squeezed it appreciatively.

"First of all, I want you all to know that she didn't cheat on me or anything. She had married Valentine as soon as they both turned eighteen. But after he found out she was pregnant, he went crazy. I don't think he could deal with the fact that everything had gotten so serious. He abused Jocelyn so much that eventually it was daily. When I finally found out, she was probably about five or six months pregnant, and it took all of us to get her to press charges against him and divorce him. He went to jail, and we all thought we were safe. Robert and Maryse had married at twenty and had Alec and Isabelle a bit after the marriage. Celine and Stephen got married after having Jace, which was right after Alec and Isabelle were born. Clary was born a couple months after Valentine went to jail, and by then, Jocelyn and I had decided that I would be the father figure. We got married two years later anyways."

My dad shifted in his seat and grimaced. I could tell this was going to be the _really_ bad part. I closed my eyes and felt Jace squeeze my hand again.

"Valentine got out of jail right after we married. When he found out that we had gotten together, he really went mad. He stalked all of us. Mainly Jocelyn and Clary, but he watched every single one of us. The fear and stress had distanced all of our families, and the Lightwoods and Herondales moved to Florida in hopes to get away from Valentine while Simon's parents and Jocelyn and I stayed in New York. We had him sent to jail for stalking, but he only stayed for three years. Then he just disappeared. We didn't hear about him for a while. But five years ago, a big story hit the news, and Jocelyn and I _knew _it was him. I don't have concrete proof, but I'm sure that he killed your parents, Jace."

I sneaked a glance at Jace to see him with his eyes closed tightly. A small tear escaped from his left eye and snaked down his cheek. I wiped it off softly, and his eyes flashed open and stared at me. I looked down to escape his tortuous eyes, waiting for my dad to continue.

"This year he came after Jocelyn—and Clary—and killed my wife. He probably would've taken Clary if she was home with Jocelyn, but luckily she had stayed over a friend's house unexpectedly and saved herself and me." He managed a small smile. "Speaking for myself and Jocelyn, we never told you about Valentine, Clary, because we were protecting you. He was insane, and we thought you'd grow up better not knowing about him. We didn't mention the Lightwoods or Herondales because, well, that could've led to exposure of Valentine being in our life. I'm not sure what your parents have or have not told you all involving all of this—" My dad pointedly looked at Isabelle, Alec, Simon, and Jace. "—but I do know that it was probably them trying to keep you all safe. I'm so sorry for not telling you sooner, Clary, but I truly hoped that it wasn't him. He's been in and out of jail a lot since the times we got him sent there. And Jace, I wish we could've done something to protect your parents."

Jace released my hand and stood up. He nodded at my dad and then walked stiffly toward the stairs leading upstairs and stomped loudly up them. We all watched him in silence. I opened my mouth to say something, but Alec surprised me by speaking, "Let him have a bit of time by himself. He's always wanted answers, and now he probably has all the answers he's wanted and possibly more. He'll come out when he's ready. And Clary?"

I looked up at him. "Yeah?"

"He's going to come to you first. Be prepared." He smiled softly at me and then stood up. "I think it's time to head home. Thanks for telling us everything Mr. Garroway. Come on Magnus." He nodded and waved before pulling Magnus out the door.

"Yeah, thanks, I'll see you later Mr. Garroway." Getting up, Simon mumbled and loped over to the door.

Isabelle stood up and hugged me tightly. "Good luck." she whispered in my ear. "You'll need it." She glanced toward the stairs. "Have a good day." She waved to my dad.

It was silent for a moment before my dad stood up and crouched in front of me. I looked up at him, and he grabbed my hands. "I'm so sorry, Clary. You must be _really _upset, and if you're furious with me, I can understand. Just know that we never expected all of this to happen." His arms flailed around some, gesturing toward _everything. _

I sighed in exhaustion. "I'm not mad at you, Dad. I'm confused, and yeah, a little upset, but I get why you and mom did it. And Daddy?" I whimpered unwillingly a little as I said his name. He stared up at me expectantly. "I love you, and I don't care if you're not biologically related to me. You _are _my dad."

His lips pulled up in a small half smile. "I love you too, Clare Bear. I hope this doesn't create a big wedge in your friendships or anything."

I hugged him tightly. "It won't. I'm going upstairs." I stood up and took the stairs two steps at a time. I looked around the hallway for Jace, but he wasn't anywhere near. I opened the door to my room and ran over to my bed, falling onto it. Taking deep breaths, I closed my eyes and pictured Valentine—my _real _father—murderous and insane. How had my whole life been such a _lie_?

There was a soft tapping on my door followed by a soft, honey-sweet voice. "Clary, may I come in?"

I nodded my head, fighting back tears. Realizing Jace couldn't see my head, I spoke up. "Yeah, come in."

He opened the door slowly and stared at me. Although his face was a little paler than normal and his eyes were somewhat puffy and red, he still brought a golden glow into the room. He stood at the door for a long, agonizing minute before quickly flitting over to my bed. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up. Gasping at his overwhelming intensity, I squeezed my eyes shut in surprise.

Then soft, yet firm lips crashed down on my lips. I froze in shock. Then after grasping what was happening, I kissed back, winding my fingers in his blonde curls. Although I could taste tears, mine or Jace's I couldn't tell, it felt like our first kiss all over. He pulled my body closer to his as if trying to mold us together. A heartbeat later he pulled back and stared at me.

"I'm so sorry, Clary. For everything. I don't know how we got this way. I didn't mean to ignore you or anything. I don't even know why we fought. Everything has gotten so hectic, and now I know that there's a chance I could lose you… I'm just scared, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you." He grabbed my face in his warm hands and, irritatingly, kissed the side of my lips. He pulled back and gazed in my eyes. "I like you _a lot_, more than I've ever imagined liking anyone before. You've helped me so much. I haven't been so happy since before my parents passed. I was really screwed up before you moved here, and I guess you were pretty screwed up yourself when you moved here…" He smirked at me when I opened my mouth to argue with him. He kissed the other side of my lips. "But I'd rather be screwed up with you and happy than be screwed up without you. I'm falling in love with you, Clary."

My body tightened, and it felt like I had just gotten shocked with electricity. Tingles raced through my veins. Silently, I grabbed his face and pulled his lips to mine. "I feel the same way." I whispered on his lips.

He grinned at me. "You were cute when you were four, by the way." he teased, pulling me in a hug.

Hugging him back, I smiled. "You were cute when you were five." I teased back. Even though my whole life had just gotten shattered because of a vast system of lies and secrets, I suddenly didn't care. I had everything I needed here in Florida: my dad, real or not I didn't care, wonderful friends, and above all else, Jace.


	14. Closer Than I Thought

**Hi, I'm here with a filler chapter. Sorry ): Next chapter will hopefully be long and drama-filled and exciting. Complete AN after writing. Please read it!**

* * *

The next couple of weeks were slow and dragged by. I was never alone—Jace wouldn't allow it. He was my own personal bodyguard. If he wasn't with me, he scheduled another person on "Clary Duty". I was beginning to spend more and more time with Alec, Magnus, and Isabelle because Jace didn't like the idea of me being alone with Simon since Jace felt that "In a moment of crisis, Simon wouldn't be prepared to help me." Simon was upset about that, but he didn't argue because I think he kind of agreed with Jace, which was surprising all on its own. I was annoyed with the—let's face it—babysitting. I knew that they only wanted to be there to protect me, but I was so sick of never being alone that I was afraid I would rip my hair out piece by piece.

It was the end of finals week, and Christmas break was almost here. There was only one class in the way, and it was almost over. We had already taken the exam for forensics, but we still had a little bit of time left in class. I was doodling on the inside of one of my heavily used notebooks while Jace mumbled to Alec across the walkway. Simon and Isabelle were still somewhat fighting, but they seemed to be getting along better than usual. Simon still hadn't filled me in on why things between them were so awkward and tightly strung.

The announcements finally came on, releasing us from the grasps of school for three weeks. I gathered my things and steered myself straight towards the door, hoping no one would notice if I disappeared before they could suffocate me again. I had actually managed to drive my own car to school, and I was more than ready to spend an afternoon alone in my art room, painting the walls at last. They were still frustratingly white and blank, and the thought of them still being empty bothered me more than it probably should have.

I celebrated a small victory when I was the first out of the classroom without being caught by the gang, but my victory was short lived when I heard a voice accompanied with the grab of my wrist. "Clary!" I mentally cursed at the sound of my name. _Damn you, _I thought bitterly. Sebastian stood next to me with a soft smile on his face. "Where are you going so fast?"

I continued walking, pulling my keys out of my bag with great effort. "Home. I have stuff to do." I muttered. I may have been running away from Jace and the gang, but I was still going to listen to them about not talking to anyone else. They had a point. I didn't trust anyone anyways.

"Like what? You have the whole break to do things." he complained as I pushed open the doors that led to the parking lot.

I didn't say anything; instead, I continued walking towards my car. I could still feel him following closely behind me, but I tried not to react. The parking lot was strangely empty, and I was beginning to wonder where everyone was. In the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of white-blonde hair, but when I turned my head in the direction I saw it, there was nothing there. I was obviously going insane now.

Sebastian was still lurking behind me, and I finally snapped, "Sebastian, I'm busy. I'm sorry, but I don't have time for this. Go follow Isabelle or something."

Sebastian flinched at my words but nodded his head tightly, the muscles in his jaw working. "Fine." He said stiffly, marching off in the opposite direction. I couldn't be bothered to care. I hopped in my car and pulled out of the parking lot quickly. The last thing I saw was Sebastian on his phone, gesturing viciously with his hands. Maybe Simon was right. There was something not quite right about Sebastian.

* * *

Hours later I was in my art room staring at the spread out contents of my mom's journals. They had pictures in them like the scrapbooks, but it wasn't much compared to the amount the scrapbooks had. I had read every last sentence in every single labeled journal of my mom's. Her story was no different than my dad's, but I still tried to look for hints to help myself. It was obvious that I was still in danger. Even though Valentine hadn't made a move toward me since the car incident, that didn't lessen my wariness. I was scared to death of when the next time I could be facing him was, and I was skimming through thousands of my mom's words, hoping she could help me.

Nothing stuck out, and I had a headache from the amount I had read since I got home. My dad hadn't bothered me since I got home, and the house was oddly silent. I knew better than to think I was home alone because after I told dad about the car accident, he had never left me home alone again since.

I stood up from the wooden floor and stretched, my back creaking and popping as I straightened out my body. I paced the floor, casting glances at the papers on the floor occasionally. I tried to paint one of my walls before I pulled out the journals, but I couldn't reach any bit of inspiration, and I hoped my mom's words would help that inspiration block. All it did was help make me less inspired.

I was stressed out, and I didn't even know how I was still on my feet. Most nights I barely got any sleep, especially since I managed to have repeat dreams of the guy in my room, which I was assuming was my portrayal of Valentine before I knew who he was.

I nudged journals over as I went through the dates of each journal. Jocelyn normally was cluttered and disorganized, but her journals had been meticulously organized and dated, as if an OCD extremist had taken over her body. Valentine was mentioned a lot before I was born, but after I was born, his name was hardly mentioned. There was the occasional quote like, _I'm still afraid he'll come back for us_—which he did and still is doing—or a more common quote, _I see him every day, whether it's the flash of his white hair or the flash of his dark eyes. He's everywhere. _That exact quote was mentioned a lot, but I had only gotten to the journal at which I was five years old. I still had eleven more to go.

Quite frankly, I was beginning to feel the same way, and I was wondering whether or not I should start keeping up with a journal. Maybe writing down these flashes of recognition could help me? I paused at the idea when I noticed that Mom still had multiple journals completely empty piled at the bottom of the box. I shook off the idea because I was slowly becoming psychotic with my obsession. Maybe that was Valentine's plan—to make me go clinically insane.

A tapping at the door awoke me from my stupor, and I whipped my head towards the barely cracked door that opened up from the spiraling staircase. "Come in." I called, assuming it was my dad with food.

"Hey, Clare." Simon stood inside the door frame with a small smile, a brown bag, and two coffee cups. "Mind if I join you?"

"As long as that coffee in your hand is black and the food in that bag is delicious." I replied as I returned his smile. He covered the distance from the door to my pile of journals and papers easily and sat down next to one of the boxes.

I joined him and took the coffee he held out for me. "So whatcha doing, Detective Fray?" he asked jokingly.

I took a gulp of the bitter coffee and sighed. "This will sound crazy, but I suppose you should be used to it by now, huh?" I paused as he nodded with a mocking smile on his face. When did my life become such a movie? "I was searching for signs in Mom's journals. I was hoping maybe I could just figure out what Valentine's next move could be… I mean, people repeat actions, right?" I was rambling by now, but Simon made no move to interrupt me. "So shouldn't that mean that Mom has a way to avoid him documented somewhere. She couldn't have coincidentally just _not_ seen him for sixteen years. I'm just going crazy."

"No, no! I see what you mean. You know how people on crime shows who lay out elaborate murders and whatnot sometimes make careless mistakes just for the thrill of still getting away with it? I think this could possibly be a lot like it… except Valentine really wants you, and this isn't a show." Simon pulled a greasy donut from the bag and bit into it with a grim roll of the eyes.

"Oh, wow, thanks. That _really _made feel much better."

"You're welcome!" he mumbled around bites of the donut. He used a napkin already covered in grease to wipe his mouth before speaking again. "So why are you avoiding the Lightwoods and Jace?"

"I'm not avoiding them—" I protested instantly before Simon hushed me.

"Clary, you literally ran out of forensics today. I was almost convinced you could beat Usain Bolt in a race." His tone was mocking, but I could detect the current of seriousness that was running underneath it.

I sighed and set the coffee down. "I don't mean to avoid them, but I don't know what else to do. I feel like I'm being babysat by you guys all the time! And then Jace is becoming more of a second dad to me than a boyfriend. I don't want that. I know that this is all serious, but I mean, apparently I have two dads… I don't need three. Jace just wants to save the world, and Alec and Isabelle are encouraging him like if Valentine swooped into my bedroom with a gun, Jace would be able to stop him. Jace won't be able to stop him, and I'm just stressed. Does that make any sense?"

Simon laughed lightheartedly, making my heart ache with the normalcy of it. "Not really, but I catch your drift. Well I'm not here as a babysitter. I'm here to eat donuts with you and kick your ass in League of Legends."

I groaned. "I hate League, though!"

"Clary, I brought you coffee. The least you could do is play League with me." Simon stared at me with wide eyes.

"You're the worst!" I complained as he helped me off the floor.

"You need a break, Detective Fray. Maybe later we can scour the scrapbooks later for more clues."

I frowned but followed him down the steps to my bedroom. I wished desperately that I could treat my situation as a crappy detective show like Simon was. I knew he was just trying to get my mind off it, but the flashes I had been having reminded me too much of my mom's words. What I said about things repeating themselves were true, and I just wondered how much longer it would be until I would be caught just like my mom had been.

It seemed like Valentine had been getting better at playing the game because he was closer than I had imagined.

* * *

******I really hope I still have people reading my story even though I've been total crap with updating. I decided I'd let you read the chapter before I attempted to explain myself. I meant to update last Thursday but these past two weeks have been hectic and just bad. For a while, I literally couldn't update because my hard drive on my THREE MONTH OLD computer failed. Thanks Hewlett Packard. Then I finally got the new one in the mail and yada yada ya... I was just so upset because I literally had to redo EVERYTHING on my computer. I couldn't even salvage my documents... so yeah. But I'm better now, and less stressed :D I will be updating the Thursday after next and we will get back on schedule.**

**********Like I said filler chapter... sorry. I have big big BIG plans for next chapter, and then the story should move pretty quickly. I'm assuming TLIAK will be a decently short story compared to BMP. I'm guessing 25 chapters or less, so here's to finishing this story eventually. **

**IMPORTANT! READ THIS: I have made a twitter for those of you with twitters. The name is kolorfulk so follow me, mention me in a tweet telling me which story you read (if it's both, say both), and I'll follow back. I'll be using the twitter to update those of you who follow me about updates, to post small quotes or lines from upcoming chapters or even new stories I'm working on, and to just be in better touch with you guys because I'm on twitter a lot. Also if you want to follow my real twitter too, just DM me after I follow you back and I'll tell you my other twitter name. So follow me! As soon as I get enough followers, I'll start posting teasers!**


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